Wild
by thelocalmaniac
Summary: It has been 78 years since Jack became a Guardian, and things seem peaceful...on the surface. An ancient evil is stirring, one that will make Pitch's attempts pale in comparison. Darkness rises and tips the balance, and the Guardians must turn to new allies in this upcoming war. Nothing is as it seems. And, in the midst of it all, could Jack be in danger of losing his powers?
1. Odd

**( This is a little rough, but I think it's ok. There will be lots of OCs in this story, both evil and good, and lots of drama [as to be expected from a fanfiction]. Feel free to leave feedback, or ideas for story plots, or critiques...anything. Just be nice [not that I can't handle brutal comments, I just respond better to _constructive_ criticism as opposed to "your story sucks. I hated it all" and not telling me how to improve—just a note). Thank you for reading this! Truly, it's much appreciated! :D )**

Snow sprinkled the sky in little tufts of white, floating gently down to the Earth's floor. Blankets of white covered the city in long stretches, almost as if it were the ground's own personal rug. In its own way, it was beautiful. The ideal packing snow! And, as we all know, not just _anyone_ creates this type of precipitation. A certain person is in charge of it, the very essence of winter, the reason for snow days, blizzards, freak sledding accidents, the fall of a certain Boogeyman...somebody who, many years ago, was _finally_ realized to be real.

Jack Frost.

Laughter, rich and full, burst from his mouth as he flew above the town, sending a blustery wind down the alleyways. He did a few flips, grinning from ear to ear, allowing himself to be carried about for awhile. He wasn't the Guardian of Fun for nothing—nobody knew how to enjoy himself better than Jack did.

A particularly cold gust of wind settled him down on the street, feet feather-light with the assistance of the air, his landing graceful, posture poised. He is what most might describe as "handsome"–a deep blue hooded sweater with frost collecting around the collar rim and rather old, tattered looking brown pants that stopped a bit below his knees, along with bare feet. One might wonder why a semi-average looking teenage boy wouldn't be wearing boots or at least _some_ type of footwear in the winter, had they not known he was the epitome of the season itself. Unruly snow-white hair laid upon his head, some strands sticking out in odd directions, complimenting an ivory skin tone, save for a few gently colored freckles tinting his cheeks. His angular facial features contained dark silver eyebrows, eyes pale blue like ice shards, a defined nose, and a large, lopsided grin. It was a trademark characteristic of the man—he was almost _always_ smiling. To complete the picture, he held a long staff, taller than he was, that was almost completely layered with ice, with an end that hooked like a candy cane. It was used to channel his magic; he'd had it from the day he died and was resurrected as Jack Frost to the present.

A few kids raced pass him, throwing snowballs (a war that Jack himself had started awhile ago), but didn't see him. Despite that fateful day seventy-eight years ago when a young child named Jamie had seen him and believed in him, along with his family and friends, the idea that he existed didn't _quite_ catch on. Some people tried. But in time, the thought died out, leaving Jack weaker than he had been back when Pitch Black roamed the Earth freely. Aggravating as that was, they hadn't had any troubles since then that required anything of him since, anyway; actually, the world had been downright peaceful. Too peaceful. Now, almost reaching his 378th year of existence, Jack was bored. And so far, he saw no way of changing that.

With a sigh that conveyed his many levels of exasperation with the world for being such a dull place, the Guardian of Fun ambled along, staff placed across his shoulders lazily and his arms draped over it. Though life was more interesting with his friends, North, Bunny, Tooth, Baby Tooth, and Sandy, he had to admit that he was kind of going through the motions. Plaguing random countries with ice, the occasional blizzard, snow days galore, snow ball fights that seemed to have no originating source (due to the fact that invisible Jack started them himself). He wanted something new. Eyes flickered about the street he was on, searching for somebody interesting to taunt, or play jokes on, or to brighten the life of.

After a moment he spotted a girl with long hair. She looked to be about sixteen or so, just walking along silently like a shadow, probably one of those people who weren't kids anymore and were "too old to believe in fairy tales". Jack followed, deciding that playing a few harmless pranks wouldn't hurt anybody. Besides, seeing some prissy girl slip on ice or get her hair tangled in something might be amusing. Maybe it would even get him out of his funk!

Blue oculars narrowed at the prospect of a challenge, energy and mischievousness alighting in those vivid orbs. He darted after, flicking his staff at the ground in front of her feet, creating a layer of frozen water. To his delight, she skidded a centimeter, arms spreading out and pinwheeling, before catching her balance and straightening up once more. For a "prissy girl", she had fairly fast reflexes—this could be more fun than he had originally thought! Already a broad grin was spreading over his face. With a new sense of purpose, Jack pointed at her, sending a forceful breeze her way. She wasn't wearing a dress, just baggy jeans and a sweatshirt, so she wouldn't need to worry about her skirt flying up or anything. However, she was petite; he figured it might bowl her over, which would be worth a good laugh. Of course, Jack wasn't a mean spirit, and he fully intended to catch her with wind or snow or something when she did fall. "Taaaaake...this~!" He crowed, guffawing, flying a step or two back to watch her reaction.

A determined expression ebbed over her delicate features, a pout forming on full lips. Instead of tipping with the high winds, she leaned forward, letting its strength keep her upright. The wind blew her thick, tousled amber tresses away from her face, and her eyes narrowed to slits against it, too proud to give into his games. He realized she wasn't too prissy looking after all—in fact, her skin was bruised and scarred from a lifetime of adventure. Jack raised a brow; whatever had caused him to think she was prissy? There had to have been _something_! It was probably just the fact that she was in her teens, the time when suddenly those older kids didn't consider themselves children and started being "too good" for the Guardians. She couldn't see him—no teenagers ever could–but apparently he'd misjudged her.

And, unwittingly, he'd just done it again!

The female turned toward him, her hair almost completely covering her face, masking her startling appearance, balling up her hands into fists. "S-stop," she snarled at him; it might have been intimidating if not for the stutter. He blinked; she had some sort of accent, but her voice was so quiet and feeble he couldn't quite place it. Either way, she seemed to be blaming her predicament on somebody.

Jack didn't reply, knowing she couldn't see him. These days, nobody could. Though he _did_ let his gaze roam, searching for anybody nearby who may be close enough to accuse this of. To his bemusement, there was nobody. That was funny...

Her index finger jabbed into his chest roughly, ripping his attention back to her. His eyes widened, staring at the finger, and then at her. Though he could barely see her face through that odd hairstyle of her's which covered all of it, he could see the downturn of the corners of her mouth, portraying her anger. But it wasn't her fury that stunned him—it was the fact that she was seeing him, _talking _to him, even! _Touching_ him! "I k-know y-you c-c-c-can hear me. You-you're looking right at m-me!" For a moment she just looked (at least he assumed she was looking—he couldn't really see her eyes) at him in outrage. Then, as if realizing what she'd done, her mouth opened it an 'o' of surprise, a sharp inhale following. She shifted, as if to take away the finger-

-when Jack grasped it in his clammy hand, tightening over it so it wouldn't move. Her body tensed, preparing to fight him off if necessary. But one look at his expression and she slowly relaxed; he meant her no harm. She could see that. From beneath her hair he saw the glint of eyes he could hardly identify as they widened slightly in wonder, probably trying to figure him out.

Then he grinned. The girl was baffled. Picturing her expression, he chuckled.

Releasing the finger, the boy put his hands on his hips and stared down at her, obviously very pleased with life. Teen or not, he towered over the little lady. "You can see me!" He told her gleefully, beaming. "_Me_! You're _looking_ at me!"

He could just imagine her eyebrows shooting up. "..Yes." She replied carefully, considering her words before saying them. "...I c-can." No doubt she was concluding that he was nuts. Most people would. But he didn't care about that.

"...!" For a moment he was speechless with unconcealed happiness. Then he let out a loud, joyous laugh, putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a little shake. "That's amazing!" He exclaimed, hopping eagerly from foot to foot before releasing her and spinning in a full circle on his heel. "It's been years, _years_." Jack threw his hands into the air, ecstatic. Now he could tell she was confused. Maybe even concerned for his well being. The female took a hesitant step back, hands fidgeting, chewing her lower lip. Before she could say anything, or worse, run away, Jack waved a hand cheerfully at her with another warm, slightly rasping chuckle. "Jack Frost! That's my name."

That didn't seem to surprise her much, actually. Taking it in stride, she offered a polite hand to shake. "..I-I'm Tabitha." He stared at the hand, not quite sure what to do with it. After an awkward moment, she let it drop. Tabitha took a deep, steadying breath. "So...y-you're not exactly h-h-human, are y-you?" The wheels were obviously turning in her head, putting two and two together about him being _the_ Jack Frost, questions about the "pranks" he'd tried to pull on her evaporating. If he really was Jack Frost, then everything that had just happened made a lot more sense.

"Straightforward, aren't you?" asked the male, grinning. "You're not exactly a non-human, are you?" He shot back, not taking things seriously, as always. Already he could feel his powers returning, stronger than they had been in for what felt like forever. It was an incredible feeling to be believed in again. Absolutely spectacular!

That did it—a tiny smile crossed her face. Speaking with such a refreshing person was fun, she decided. And he wasn't like the others. "N-no. I s-suppo-ose n-not." whispered the girl in return, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. Strange as she was, Jack was enjoying himself. Talking to somebody new was awesome. Even if she _was_ she shiest person he'd ever met.

"Tabby!" They both started at the nickname, and Jack noticed with a frown that the name made her wince. Turning to look over her shoulder, they both watched a smaller girl walk toward them, head lifted in the air. Despite her shorter height, she had mastered the art of looking down on them anyway, her arrogance numbing the air more than any frost Jack had brought along with him. She had blonde hair to her shoulders and olive green eyes, her features resembling the little he'd seen of Tabitha's. Though, unlike Tabitha, she seemed grumpy and unfriendly. People like that were not people Jack got along with; he took an instant disliking to her. "What's taking you?"

Tabitha seemed agitated now. "H-hi, A-Angela. N-nothing...j-just talking to J-Jack Frost.." Was it just him, or had her stuttering gotten worse? Tabitha gestured meekly over her shoulder, and the girl Angela narrowed her eyes at Jack. Maybe seeing him was a family trait? But then Angela snickered, and his halfhearted surge of hope evaporating. Perhaps he hadn't wanted somebody like Angela believing in him, anyway. She seemed obnoxious.

"You're really cracking up this time, Tabby." Another wince at the disdainful title, and a flinch away at the comment of her cracking up. Unlike Tabitha, this girl was all-American, with no accent whatsoever. "Can't you be a good role model for your little sister and _not_ talk to imaginary friends?" At the last comment, Tabitha frowned, glancing over at Jack. He gave her a rueful smile and a shrug; he was denying nothing. "Now hurry up," Angela was saying as she turned around, shaking her head, "and stop rambling about things that don't exist. We're lucky _our_ parents never lied to us about those fake people like all my _friend's_ parents did, like Santa Claus, and the rest. Like, that's just bogus. I can't even believe they did that! Jack Frost is just an expression." Jack glared. He _hated_ when people said that. "You're gullible." The annoying girl glided away, sneering, muttering something about Tabitha losing it as she went.

Another flinch from Tabitha. However, the further Angela got, the less nervous the redhead seemed to become. Then, resignedly, she turned to Jack. "I h-have to go.."

Disappointment coursed through him. But then he shrugged easily, tossing his staff from hand to hand. "Cool. When will I see you again?" Tabitha gawked. "I'll come see you, alright? Tomorrow?" After a moment, she allowed another small smile and nodded. Jack grinned and jumped into the air, letting the wind take him away. He watched her stare up at him before turning and walking away, acting natural. Tabitha walked after her younger sister, and Jack thought about the conversation with Angela—was it true that some parents didn't tell their children about North and Bunny? If that was true, than why had Tabitha seemed so put off by those statements? Did she believe anyway? And how could she see _him_ if Angela couldn't, and they'd both been raised not to believe? Angela _had_ called her "gullible". Perhaps it was that sheer naïvity that allowed her to see him. The idea made him smile. There were firsts for everything! And goddamn, that girl was something.

There was nothing else to do in this city. Jack figured he might visit North—now that he was allowed into the workshop, with no further need to break in and attempt to pass the Yeti, he went to explore it often as he could. It was a nice pass time whenever he had nothing better to do, and North, Guardian of Wonder, had many incredible inventions and devices that had not yet been released to the general public of the world. Jack flew off in that direction, still smiling to himself. Below him he heard a honk of a car horn and a crash, and sniggered; probably just due to his ice. Nothing to worry about. Honestly, the idea was an amusing one. No car could prevail against his powers! With a fleeting grin, he sped off toward the North Pole, calling out, "Wind! Take me to North's!" And, as if it wasn't being controlled by Jack and could actually understand him, it did.


	2. A New Immortal

**( Great first response! C: Anyway, in this chapter, you'll meet one of my OCs, who will be a main protagonist alongside the Guardians starting now. ^_^ It's Mother Nature, but my own version of her. She is _not_ based after the one from the books—due to the fact I have not yet read the books, this fanfic of mine will be only after movie events. This is my own spin on the classic Mother Nature, so don't hate because she isn't the one from the books—she wasn't intended to be, and will never be. Critique if you have any ideas, complaints, compliments. Thanks for reading! )**

"And you say she could see you, even though she did not know who or what you were?" asked North as he chipped away at the extravagant ice castle he had been working on, cerulean eyes focused on his work. His Russian accent was thick, and his English was somewhat choppy—Jack had asked him once about his life before being the famed "Santa Claus". It had been a hilarious discovery as to how pre-Guardian North had spent his life.

Jack nodded, hovering on his back in the air like a swimmer doing the back-float in the water, gaze trained on the ceiling. "Yeah. It was weird. And her sister said that they hadn't been brought up knowing about any of us, either." At the memory, he grinned; Tabitha and Angela had nothing in common whatsoever. It was strange to think they were siblings. "I'll bet you that she could see _you_ right away, too."

That got North's attention. Although he hadn't been one for gambling and bets in his former life, Bunny and Jack had gotten him hooked on it, the three of them spending large amounts of time daring one another to do ridiculous things (for example, Jack got to vandalize all of Bunny's eggs on Easter day a few years back by doodling on them, and once Bunny got to egg North's fortress, which he did unwillingly—Bunny is fond of his walking eggs!). So, at the prospect of a bet, he was suddenly a lot more interested. Stroking his long white beard, he asked cheerfully, "What do you bet me, Jack?"

The Winter spirit grinned, considering this. Then he replied, "If she can see you, you're my slave for a week. In other words, you'll be messing with the others a _whole_ lot. If she can't, I will stop freezing your elves and your Yeti, _and_.." He trailed off, musing over good alternatives.

North came to the rescue. "You're _my_ slave for a week. I am behind this year, and the elves keep eating cookies before I get to. You will be my baker."

It was an unappealing idea. However, Jack nodded eagerly, trusting that Tabitha would rise to the challenge. "You're on, old man!" Flying down to North's height, the two men shook on it, smirking like crazed idiots. It was a guy thing. Then Jack glanced toward the window, looking at the sun. "..It's been at least twelve hours. I'm going to go look for her."

The large man shot his friend a quick look, curious. He'd never seen Jack so determined about something before, not since his score to settle with Pitch. It might just be that he hadn't had somebody outside of Jamie's descendents who could see him and believed in him in ages. Perhaps even that he was just so curious about her talent and "gullibility" that he wanted to find out more. But it might just be that, after three hundred and seventy-eight years, the kid was finally looking for some companions more the age he'd been when he had died, maybe even love. Jack may not be tied down easily (or _ever_), but that didn't rule him out for romance, right? Whatever Jack's motives were, he'd support them (probably), and would definitely expect updates on this potentially good influence on him. "You do that. When you find her, come tell me. We will see who wins bet."

With an airy chuckle, Frost nodded before flying out the window, heading back to the North American region of the States to find her.

* * *

Hours later, he allowed a sigh of frustration to escape him, completely drained from his aerial excursion, searching for his newest plaything, but to no avail. Lounging on a branch as he got his breath back from the frantic hunt, he clenched a hand, thumping it on the tree trunk. She'd lived her _just_ yesterday! He should have asked for an address, or a last name, or arranged a rendezvous location! For all he knew, she may have just been visiting here on vacation, and was already returning to her actual home! Either way, his investigation into the mysterious girl who rather resembled Cousin It was inconclusive. And now, perched in his favorite forest of the town he'd once lived in, he was once again bored.

"This is all Tabitha's fault." He grumbled moodily, folding his arms over his chest and slouching down lower. "If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't even know I _was_ terribly bored. Now it's even worse than before..." Grouchily he formed a snowball, experimentally tossing it. "I bet she's having a great laugh now. Met an immortal, lived to tell of it, probably ruined his life. Ha ha."

Then, suddenly, Jack laughed, entertaining the idea. He'd barely even seen her smile, let alone _laugh_. The idea of her putting on such a crazy act just to fool him and draw in his attention was a laughable one. So he imagined a few scenarios of the _real_ Tabitha, snickering at the mental pictures, before shaking his head in amusement, grinning wildly. "That's probably it," he joked, rolling his eyes. Then, catching the snowball, he threw it down toward the ground into a thicket, done venting for now. This finished, he stood up and turned away.

"A-ack!"

Jack stopped in mid-step, eyes wide. Then he looked over his shoulder, watching a head pop up from the bushes, his snowball having beaned them in the face. Two small, dainty hands came up to brush off the snow, before it stared up at him, startled. "Did you try to do that?" asked a low-pitched female's voice, the Scottish accent easily noticeable. "Can you see me?"

Could he see her? What a silly question...But then Jack remembered saying something very similar when Jamie had goggled at him that night. Maybe it wasn't _so_ strange. Then again, he thought he'd met all of the spirits the Moon had created, or at least _heard_ of most of them. This girl didn't look familiar at all. Though, he couldn't tell much from afar. Hopping off the branch, he floated quickly over to her, watching her eyes grow to the size of full moons at the action. But, it was a fact, whatever and whoever she was, she could see him.

At first glance, Jack noted that she'd been crying earlier, for her cheeks were damp and sticky looking, eyes rimmed red. But other than that, she was a very bold looking woman. Her eyes looked just like the forest itself, jade green with golden flecks like sunlight through the leaves. Her skin was cream and unblemished—he automatically imagined a cloud—and she had scarlet hair put up in a high ponytail that reached her butt in length save for two shorter strands framing her face that ended right above her shoulders. She wore what seemed to be a full-bodied Spandex, the sleeves of the skintight material barely covering her shoulders and stopping before the elbow, the neck plunging down her chest in a half-circle, not exposing anything (a fact he couldn't decide whether he liked or didn't like). It started out camouflage print, but as it stretched down to her thighs, the coloring faded to a solid color. By the ankles the material was dark black, cutting off above the bone. She had no shoes, so the electric green tattoos that ravaged up her feet were seen, styled like jungle vines with floral designs spinning off the stems. On her arms, chest, what could be seen of her back, neck, and face, the same green colors spiraled upward, stopping at points different points, one behind each ear, one where the hairline on her neck began, and one across the forehead after streaking up her temples. As humans went, she was what _anyone_ might call "exotic".

"Yes." Jack nodded, eyes narrowing at her. "I can see you."

She didn't seem to believe it, judging by her expression. Carefully she stretched out her hand, touching his arm. A relieved look flashed across her face, lips tugging up into a happy smile. The earth beneath her backside seemed to jump up, pushing her forcefully into a standing position, green oculars alight. "I didn't go through you!" She chimed breathlessly, practically glowing. "Oh, _fantastic_!" With a shrill squeal of elation, she jumped forward and gave him a big hug. Before he could either return it or push her off, she let go, dancing back a few steps and bumping into a tree. Stumbling, the girl almost fell but managed to right herself, giggling. "I don't really know how I got here, but I went into town, and walked _through everyone._ And nobody could see me! Isn't that crazy? It's pretty crazy. I thought I was alone, but..." A bark of a laugh escaped her. "You're here!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious. Already he could tell this kid was going to be fun. She was almost as hyper as he was! A corner of his mouth lifted up in a grin, bemused by this girl. "I'm here," he agreed with an inclination of his head, playful.

She grinned back. "This is true." The redhead reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it. He thought back to Tabitha, when she'd offered a hand—he hadn't taken it. No wonder she'd been so weird about it! This must be what people did nowadays...shook hands. "I'm...I'm..." For a moment, a brief flash of confusion appeared on her face, and she bit her lip. "...I'm new."

"Well, hello, New. Nice to meet you."

Unable to help herself, she laughed. "Very funny. Actually, though...this might sound foolish...but I can't really remember my name." A pause. "Or anything, really. I just sort of...came up out of the ground and...here I am." As if recollecting her entry to the world had reminded her of her condition, she let go of his hand and brushed some dirt smudges off her arms, plucking a clump out of her hair and tossing it to the floor immediately afterward. "Is that weird? That's probably really weird."

His blue eyes gleamed. "It's not that weird. Actually, that's how I came about, too...I came out of the ice. Didn't remember a thing. Hate to tell you this, but you're not a human anymore." Until now, he'd apparently been the _only_ person who had forgotten _everything_ upon awakening. He had to wonder...maybe he _hadn't_ just been a defect. Was there a _reason_ to forgetting everything? "But...didn't the Moon give you a name yet?"

Her pale, near-invisible blonde brows lifted. Giving him a wry smile, she pointed at the sun, expression teasing. "Not sure if you've noticed, hotshot, but it's still daytime, and I've only been 'round for a few hours. I have yet to meet the moon." The redhead paused. "..Does the...can the moon talk?"

Jack nodded in response. "'Manny', as the Guardians call him, does talk. He told me my name, and made me Guardian. He chose all the Guardians. Not very talkative, but...he gets around." He could see the questions forming in her mind, and laughed. "Guardians take care of the children. They protect things in them." Unlike the others, Jack wasn't very good at explaining things. Or, rather, he refused to elaborate, or spend much time on it, and was way too unfocused and busy goofing off to even try. Henceforth, the poor description that was obviously leaving her with more questions than answers.

It was very apparent that he would need to work on that.

* * *

He stayed with her through the day—and actually enjoyed himself. She discovered that she had a tendency to make plants grow when she drew near them, and frequently caused flowers to burst into bloom on the ground she walked pass, and also was quite the animal whisperer. Jack nicknamed her "mongrel", but she didn't much like that. He didn't think it would catch on. But, due to her new talents, he figured she was some sort of flower spirit or something. She said that since the forest was often called the wilderness, that it would make a good makeshift name for her. But "wilderness" was kind of a mouthful, so Jack eventually shortened it to "Wild". They both liked that.

One way or another, it was nice. She had odd powers, and realizing she didn't know who she was didn't seem to bother her, so they didn't spend any time talking of it. They had snowball fights, went sledding, discovered her little idiosyncrasies and gifts, and laughed the day away. Soon, however, dusk was falling. And even Guardians need sleep!

"I probably have to go. I told North I'd check in." Jack murmured ruefully, laying on his back in the snow. Wild was curled up near him, though not touching, exhausted, using her mountains of hair to cushion her cheek from the snow so she wouldn't freeze.

Due to the fact that, being a gifted storyteller from his human years, he'd told such great stories of the Guardians that she felt as if she knew them already, Wild understood that he probably needed to get back. That didn't mean she had to like it, though. Sitting up and propping her head on her hand, she made a face. Jack laughed. "Do you have to? Can't'cha stay until Manny gives me my name?"

He was about to say no, when suddenly, he frowned. For his entire existence, he'd been a hellion, a rule-breaker! Why would he stop now? Just because he had friends who might wonder about him? That was a stupid reason. He'd check in to spend the night it a bit. Wild was his friend too, wasn't she? "As if I would miss that!" She smiled gleefully. "Shouldn't be too long, though. He only ever kept _me _waiting. According to the others, he's always quite punctual." The Man in the moon had been silent for three hundred years before telling him what his purpose was: guarding fun in children. And he had to admit, he still rather resented him for it.

Wild reached over and slugged his shoulder lightly, shoulders shaking with laughter. "And me worried there for a minute!" They waited, perhaps a half hour more. But then, spontaneously, colored lights raced across the sky. It was beautiful, in splashes of pinks, greens, reds, blues—but it filled Jack with dread. The Aurora Borealis. Not only did the northern lights _not happen_ in this region, but North only released them when something important happened. The last time it had happened was when Pitch had tried to conquer the world.

Leaping to his feet, he launched himself into the sky to heed the call. Wild shouted up after him, though he was too far away to hear. "I've gotta go! I'll see you tomorrow, alright?!" This stated he whispered, "Wind, take me to North's!"

He arrived right after Sandy, whose caramel eyes warmed at the sight of him. The orange-yellow man waved at him, smiling, and Jack grinned in response as he landed on the ground. But before he could say anything, Bunny decided to appear—right under Jack's feet.

"_Crikey_!" exploded the fiery rabbit, those deep green orbs glaring at Jack he landed on his shoulders with a yelp. Pushing off the hare, he floated above his head, smirking as the Australian muttered in annoyance about Jack never being where he should be. The blue-grey pelt with the black markings was glossy as always, not a hair out of place (Bunny was quite the neat freak, really), towering over the lot of them (though, Jack had concluded, much to Bunny's chagrin, most of it was the height of his ears than his body).

"Sorry, Bunny. Didn't see you trying to break my legs there," Jack responded breezily, ignoring the feisty rodent's glare his way.

"_Break your legs?_ You are just _always_ in the wrong place, making messes-!" exploded Bunny, furious.

"If you would check before making your holes _under_ people, there wouldn't have been a problem at _all_-!" The three of them walked into the Globe Room together, Bunny and Jack arguing the whole way with Sandy urging them on. Once they were there, they froze, seeing North and Tooth staring at a large figurine in the middle of the room, a silvery blue color, towering over them all. Manny was shining in, creating the larger than life figure before them.

Sandy's mouth dropped, and Bunny gasped, "H-he's chosen a new Guardian!"

The three of them dashed forward, stopping in front of it. Tooth looked over at them, her purple eyes puzzled, stroking one of her green-blue feathers. "Oh, you made it. Hello, Jack!" She smiled at him, maybe a beat too long, for once she greeted the other two, it was already a little awkward. Like all her Baby Teeth, she had a crush on Jack—or, to be more specific, his teeth. "Yes...Manny chose a new Guardian. But...we don't recognize her. Have any of you seen her before?" Bunny and Sandy shook their heads, bewildered, but Jack was silent. He was squinting up at it, scrutinizing Manny's depiction of the newest addition. Then it hit him.

".._Wild_?"


	3. Enemy

**( 90-something views already, and a few favorites. I love you guys! I hope you're liking Wild—and yes, this story will feature a lot of her. Of course, she's going to stir up _quite_ a bit of trouble. All the story's problems revolve around her, just because she has horrible luck. Again, critique, compliment, share ideas, whatever you'd like. I really appreciate the feedback! )**

He led his friends back to the forest where he'd left Wild, both concerned and excited by this new development. North landed his sleigh on the ground, skidding a few feet before the halting. How would she take this? Would she even _want_ to be a Guardian? Having another girl around would be good for Tooth. And she was hilarious—she'd make things interesting. Maybe snap Jack out of his boredom completely. Either way, he wanted to apologize for running off so quickly. She was probably mad, he decided, wincing as he hopped out of the sleigh, preparing to search for her.

Suddenly a little form barreled into him, arms winding around his waist. "Jack! _Jack!_" Nope. Not mad at all. Two green eyes sparkled up at him, big smile already in place and waiting for him. This reaction was unexpected, but not unwelcome. His mouth opened, momentarily at a loss for words, having thought she might be angry, or disappointed—not happy to see him. He'd run out on her, hadn't she? What a weird girl.

Just like the first time they'd met, Wild let go before he could return the favor, still grinning up at him. "You're back! _Great_! I found out my name, too, though you can still call me Wild, y'know, if you want."

Crystal clear oculars blinked at her in surprise before arching slightly as he smiled. Wild had a lot of energy. Talked pretty fast, too. "Cool, man! And what _is_ your name?" But she wasn't paying attention any longer, her gaze already drawn to the sleigh. She admired it in awe, and at the five figures clambering or flying out of it. Then she spotted the reindeer (much to her delight), and slowly approached, careful not to startle them, hands outstretched. Like all animals had been thus far, the nearest nuzzled her palm, and soon all the reindeer were tugging at their harnesses toward her. Wild gave them lots of love. Seeing that she was distracted, Jack rolled his eyes before turning to Bunny and North, who were closest to him. "That's her," he told them redundantly, pointing his staff toward the little lady.

Bunny gave her a funny look, wrinkling his nose. "That's a lotta hair, mate.." He mumbled in astonishment, watching the thick strands wave from side to side like a tail as she turned from deer to deer, stroking their muzzles and petting their flanks. Wouldn't she trip or something, with hair that long? As people went, she was awfully disproportional.

As the others subtly shifted closer to this soon-to-be Guardian, Jack floated over, tapping her on the shoulder. "Hey. Wild." Tearing her eyes away from the animals, she looked at him, blinking. The others created a semicircle around them. Curious, he asked, "What did the Man on the Moon say you were?"

"Oh!" She seemed surprised. Then she smiled disarmingly, triggering a smile from all of the others despite themselves, even Bunny. "Yeah, he did! A few minutes after you left, actually...I bet he was waiting for you to go. You scare everyone off, Frosty!" Jack gave her a mock-wounded look, which she mimicked. But then she became a little more serious, straightening up and trying to seem more confident, perhaps even impressive. "I'm Mother Nature." She told him, sounding professional, majestically lifting her head up. The action made Jack chuckle. Although that irked her, she was entirely unable to repress a smirk.

"Mother Nature!" North echoed, expression transitioning from surprise to glee. He smiled jovially at her, his thick brows lifting, animating his entire expression. His blue eyes sparkled, putting Mother Nature at ease.

Wild looked up at him and smiled. "I go by Wild, though. I guess you must be North?" She eyed up the others. "Bunny...Sandy...Tooth..." Her gaze rested on Jack. "You."

"I don't even get a name?" Jack asked, eyebrow lifting.

"Nope." No room for arguments there! He laughed, unable to help it, and her stoicism melted, replaced by another grin. Then she realized something, a glint appearing in her eyes. "Wait a minute. Why are y'all here? I can't imagine I'm _that_ interesting of a specimen to draw _all_ of you over here! I'm sure there's some reason that I am graced with your presences..."

The Guardians exchanged glances. Tooth Fairy fidgeted before flying forward, taking this one on. "Ah, yes, actually! You're absolutely right!" She smiled at Wild, who offered a hesitant one in response. "It's just...you were selected to be a Guardian. Only awhile ago! Manny chose you. That's why we're here. To make it official!" Her wings fluttered quickly, very akin to a hummingbird.

For a moment, Wild was quiet, mulling this over. The Guardians looked worriedly amongst themselves, fearing for the worst. Even if _they_ didn't think they needed help, Manny had never been wrong before. So they were already preparing for things to be difficult. Finally, Mother Nature met North's gaze, electing him as the leader of their little posse. With a dip of her head, she gave him her answer.

"Yeah, sure! Seems fun."

"Crikey," Bunny breathed. He nudged Jack, greatly amused. "Why weren't you as easy to recruit as she is? It took a full-scale war to convince _you_!"

"I have higher standards than her." Jack replied with a shrug, looking up at his friend, grinning. A laugh followed when he saw the expression on Bunny's face at the comment. But he then glanced at Wild, who was standing outside the circle still, seeming uneasy. Pointing his staff at the ground, he created a layer of ice beneath her feet. Wild slid toward them with a gasp, pinwheeling her arms for balance, before hopping off the patch and shooting a glare at him. "'Bout time you stopped daydreaming over there!" Before she could object to 'daydreaming', he inquired, "You have a place to stay?" She paused, slumped when she realized the answer, and shook her head silently. "Alright. I live with North," cue the gesture to the Russian, "and he has lots of room. You can stay with us."

North rolled his eyes. Typical of Jack to make decisions about _his_ home without _his_ consent. But before Jack took things too far out of hand, Bunny intervened. "More room down in the Warren with me, I'd say. Only myself and my eggs. Greener, too; Mother Nature controls the elements, you know, so she'd like it better there. Leave the snowy weather to yourselves, aye, mates?" Then, much to Jack's annoyance, Wild brightened at that prospect. Catching the action, Bunny smiled a little at her. "Like that idea, don't'cha, sheila?"

Ambling over to stand beside him, Wild nodded cheerfully. "I do!" She agreed, beaming at him. This stated, she piped up, "There's some sort of ceremony, right? I'd assume there is—I mean, from what I've heard, becoming and _being _a Guardian is pretty big stuff." Again, she looked to North, who nodded in acknowledgment. "Are we doing that _now_, or later?"

Sandy lifted a finger, but quickly discovered that he, actually, didn't have an answer for that. So he peered at North, who stroked his chin as he sized Wild up. Eventually the stocky male nodded to himself and walked toward his sleigh, reaching inside and taking out a large, thick book. Jack was glad to see that there wouldn't be any trumpet-blaring elves or flag-holding Yeti. He personally found this ceremony a lot more important without the dramatics. North flipped through the pages, finding his spot. Then his oculars dropped to look at Wild, who was suddenly standing by herself; she looked around to see the others were standing beside North, watching her, some with doubt, others with smiling faces. Jack just looked like he was about to laugh. "Will you, Mother Nature, more commonly known as Wild, vow to

watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life—their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be."

She stood there, enthralled, perhaps by North's passion about the subject, or maybe even the words themselves. But, a beat later, her cheeks heated up and she nodded enthusiastically, smiling. "I will!" Wild murmured in response, practically radiating with happiness.

"Then congratulations, Wild, for you are now and forevermore.." He paused for affect, closing his eyes and snapping the book closed; his eyes sprang open and he beamed at her. "A Guardian!" Jack hooted and did a flip in the air, and the others cheered for her. North stepped forward, patting her on the shoulder so hard that she wobbled, but giggled anyway. "Welcome to club, Wild."

Her Scottish accent was very noticeable when she replied with a happy, "Thank you!" She bowed deeply to the others, a silly smile on her face. Once she was sitting up again she stepped forward, a small flower breaking through the snow where her bare feet had once been (which Bunny and Sandy admired thoughtfully). "I won't letcha down. Definitely not. I'll figure out my powers and control 'em. No worries."

Wild noticed a movement in the midst of her rambling and turned her head to see Bunny tapping the ground with a long, furry foot. Beneath it opened a large tunnel, which he pointed to with a little smile, ears twitching. "Alrighty, Wild—now that all is said 'n done, it's about time we headed back to the Warren." He gestured toward the hole. "After you."

Without further ado, she dashed forward with a whoop of delight and jumped in, tucking her knees to her chest in a cannonball. North watched her disappear, recalling a time where the thought of traveling by Bunny's tunnels would have been a worrisome one. Wild, however, appeared to have no qualms. Fearless—a good trait in a Guardian.

Looking on after her, Jack's eyebrows lifted. "What d'you think her center is?" After a moment he grinned, crossing his arm. "I bet it's joy or something, based on what I've seen of her so far."

Bunny looked over at Jack and smirked. "Maybe it's 'fun', and she's here to replace you." Jack frowned. "Don't look at me like that, mate. She very well might! Being Mother Nature, she should be in control of all the seasons, including Winter, which is _yours_. She could take over." The frown deepened; the idea of somebody he was spending so much time with shooting him out of commission was an unwelcome one. "Think on it, Jack." This said, Bunny leaped into the hole as well, and it closed up behind him.

Tooth flew over and placed a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm sure that's not the reason she's here, Jack. We've been through a lot together. And Manny wouldn't have done that to you. Don't get yourself down."

He barely responded, staring at the ground. Sandy and North made eye contact; if anybody could get Jack to see reason, it was Tooth, and he hadn't even reacted. Bunny's words weren't a far stretch, really—it was a definite possibility. And it was obvious that Jack wasn't keen on sharing his powers with anyone, not even somebody as gentle as Wild.

It was highly likely that, without even knowing it, Wild had made an enemy.


	4. No Identity

**( Thanks for all the wonderful feedback, you guys! It really means a lot! Now, I know that I'm kind've taking my time in getting to the main story plot and introducing the real villains and whatnot, but don't worry—they're coming up soon. I just want to fully introduce all the characters first before I get into major plot twists. I have plans. ~=w=~ Again, compliment, complain, critique—all is welcome. )**

The next day, upon visiting Wild in the Warren, Jack was greeted by an especially grumpy Bunny. His ears were lowered, shoulders hunched, sitting against a boulder while he smoothed a nick out of his boomerang, muttering to himself. Not sure whether to laugh or be concerned with the talking rodent's condition, he took the neutral route as he approached him, commenting dryly, "Sick of her already, I see?" Or maybe not so neutral—it was obvious he was amused.

Bunny's green eyes smoldered. "..She hatched my eggs."

Jack choked on a laugh, shocked and entertained simultaneously, pausing a few moments to stop his choking episode. Finally, taking a deep breath to ensure he wasn't about to block his air flow again, he burst out, "_What_? How!? I didn't think that was possible!"

His expression was stoney. "Dunno. One approached her, she touched it, and it hatched. Then all the others came to her—she's got a way with living things—and now my Warren is being overrun by _bloomin'_ baby chickens! And that's not all, either!" His voice dropped a pitch in anger. "She has a pet dog now."

"..Is it..." Jack trailed off, awed by Wild's gall. "..a greyhound?" Bunny nodded. Jack stifled a laugh, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Oh, wow."

"Named it Snickerdoodlemuffin."

"...Clever name."

"It really is."

There was a silence, and Jack looked around. He saw no chickens, no greyhound, and no Wild. "Where is she now?"

"Crikey, who knows? Probably off causing mayhem to the rest of the Warren." He rubbed his temples with his paw-hands, agitated. "She can't stay here, mate."

Yesterday, Jack had been quite envious when Wild had preferred to stay with Bunny as opposed to him and North. Now, however, he said nothing. He was still sore about the point Bunny had brought up the other day. "Well, everyone except me has their own palace-fortress thing. We could make her one. Or show her how to make her own." Jack would create _his_ own, but he wasn't one to be tied down. If he did, he'd feel the need to visit it periodically. He didn't need a home, he needed freedom, the choice to live and stay and sleep wherever he liked to. And he had no interest on feeling inclined to stay in his Ice Palace or whatever.

Looking a little more hopeful, Bunny's ears perked up. "Maybe. That could work." Then he heard a crash, causing both men to swivel their heads to the left, trying to identify the cause. Bunny sighed heavily. "Speak of the devil..."

Wild peeled herself off the giant, mossy walking stone-egg she'd ran into, taking a few dizzy steps. She laughed heartily, massaging her nose, which was clearly smarting. Now one could see that she held a vine in both hands, and had probably been swinging on it. It was easy to assume that she'd made it herself. Gaining her balance, she giggled quietly for awhile longer before spotting the two Guardians. Immediately she brightened up, smiling at them; despite his fears about her stripping him of his powers, her smiles were infectious, and he and Bunny couldn't resist the temptation to smile in return. "Evenin', gents!" She called over, heading down the gentle slope toward them, flowerbeds sprouting behind her of pale pinks and blues and yellows. The dirt and leaves and everything had been cleaned from her skin, which glowed healthily, more colored than before. All in all, she looked incredible. The wind picked up behind her, pushing her faster; once she'd reached the bottom, however, it let up and she slowed down, grinning. Watching, Jack's eyes widened; the wind was _his_ to control! Had she already taken over it so quickly? Resentment prickled in his chest, unable to be suppressed. "Nice of you to visit, Jack!"

That's when it happened. He could hear the chirping and tweeting behind her. From over the hill, thousands upon thousands of baby birds appeared, waddling toward her. Hearing them, she glanced back before laughing. Jack was starstruck, but soon he was laughing too, his anger forgotten temporarily. There were still several months until Easter—Christmas was just around the corner—but this would take quite some time to replace. It was easier to understand Bunny's feelings now. This seemed like an almost impossible task. "Oh, _Wild_," he breathed, shaking his head in disbelief, a crooked smile playing upon his lips. Shoving his hands in his sweatshirt pouch, he watched as the first of the baby chicks reached Wild, rubbing up against her ankles, fluffing up its down feathers. "What have you done?"

"I didn't mean to!" Wild insisted, reaching down to lift the chick up in her hands, expression softening. "I just don't know how to do anything yet...or, rather, _stop_ doing everything. I-I'm working on it, though!" She added, determined, green eyes unnaturally bright. "I promise!" Then, to Bunny, she sheepishly murmured, "Ah...I'm sorry, though. I'll make it up to you. I'm sure I can cause your egg-making flowers to reproduce faster. It may take some time to figure out, but it's worth a shot..."

The idea made Bunny brighten. "That could work," he admitted, his anxiety easing away. Already he was straightening up, his ears stretched tall again. The beginnings of a smile hinted at his mouth. "Lets get to it, then, mate!" Wild grinned broadly and nodded, leading the way toward one of the flowers to start the experimenting. Bunny got up to follow. After a moment in which he hesitated, Jack decided to go along with them; might as well, since he came here to check up on them anyway. He had nothing better to do. Of course, he also wanted to make sure Wild wasn't getting any ideas of stealing his powers. So far she seemed more interested in taming animals, so he wasn't too worried. For now.

* * *

"You got it, you got it, you got it...!" chanted Jack, waving his fists rhythmically at his sides, crystalline eyes bright with enthusiasm as Wild tried once again to fertilize the pink flower with her magic, a tendril of green circling a hand, spreading up her forearm, and then dissipating. Perspiration stuck wisps of hair to her face, her skin was flushed, and her eyes were squinted in exertion. Bunny was muttered, "C'mon, sheila, you better do this...you owe me...c'mon, sheila.." Taking a deep, steadying breath, Wild held it as she channeled her concentrated magic toward her fingertips. Electric green strands burst forth again, trembling from the effort, moving up her arm. Once it reached the forearm, it increased length by maybe a centimeter and then evaporated. Exhausted, she dropped her arms, panting raggedly.

Jack blew out sharply, stirring his jaggedly cut bangs. "Don't give up yet!"

Bunny gave him a weary look. "She's been at this for an hour! Probably drained her, I expect. She should get some rest, mate..." As he said this, Wild let out a frustrated grunt, lifting her arms once more and focusing; magic ran up to her shoulders this time, stronger and brighter than before. Encouraged, she tried again immediately after the lights faded, giving another push of passion; this time, the green light show raced up her arms and then seeped into her floral-vine tattoo lines. As her magic was fed to the tattoo, it glowed as well, the color lighting up like a glowstick and illuminating her and the three of them. Her hair floated around her head like a fiery halo, and, as things started to look _really_ strange, she touched the flower—which opened up and popped out an egg. It landed on its feet and ran away. The colors and lights died again, and Wild curled up, coughing for loss of breath; then she glanced up at the two, who were sitting on the other side of the flower, eyes wide, and grinned massively. "G-got it," she told them triumphantly, chipper as ever. This stated, she proceeded to do the same thing, allowing her emotions to overwhelm her again, and produced about a dozen more eggs. By this time, though, she looked about to faint, so Bunny stood up and heaved the girl over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, marching her away. To further prove how tired she was, she barely gave any verbal resistance, merely mumbling some incoherent things to herself about rabbits.

Since she wasn't facing him, she didn't see the big smile on Bunny's face.

* * *

"She's pretty strange, isn't she?" asked Bunny as he sat down on the side of one of the trails in his Warren, lounging there lazily. Bunny had placed Wild in her bed (a little patch of extra-fluffy grass she'd discovered and made a nest out of), and then the two had walked off, both thinking about Mother Nature. Now that they were far enough away not to disturb her, they decided to bring it up.

"The strangest," Jack agreed, plopping down as well. His hands instantly moved to the grass, pulling out pieces of it as his endless amounts of energy got the better of him. Eventually he looked up at Bunny. "Did you really mean it?"

"That she's strange? Of course I did! I just said-!"

"No, not _that_, you great furry lump!" He cut the Easter Bunny off, rolling his eyes. "What you said last night! About Wild replacing me and all that..."

"Oh." In retrospect, Bunny decided that what he'd said was probably a little harsh. He knew Jack had gone from three hundred years completely alone to having a large group of children believe in him, _and_ having the four Guardians as friends—the idea of losing all that and being alone again would be a painful one. And, knowing what a teenage drama queen Jack could be, Bunny wouldn't be surprised if he was angry with Wild because of it. Overall, it had been very insensitive. He regretted it already. "I doubt she'd do something like that. She's too innocent." Seeing Jack's expression, he added weakly, "I mean, it's _possible_. But unlikely. I mean, _crikey_, Jack! We don't even know her yet!"

His face fell. "_She_ doesn't know her, either. Can't remember a thing, just like I used to be."

Bunny frowned. "She does, does she? Maybe she can ask Tooth?"

...That was actually a good idea. Jack lit up like a lightbulb. Hopping to his feet with a gust of air, he landed on one foot before pivoting around toward one of the many exits of the Warren. "Good idea! I'll be off, then. See you later, alligator!"

"That's 'Bunny' to you, Ice Prince."

"Bye, Peter Cottontail," sniggered the Winter sprite, smirking, before launching himself into the air and flying off.

Amused, Bunny looked after the kid, expression showing more fondness than he would ever let Jack know he contained. But it was hard to mask. Jack had really come through for them, going from an immature, pesky nobody to a Guardian who had saved all of them, and the world, and made Jamie believe in him. There were many reasons to like the guy. And Bunny had discovered his love of children thanks to Jack (via Sophie), and in many ways, Jack was still a child. He had all the traits that the Guardians protected in children still in him. However, considering all this, his expression became a more serious one. What sort of rivalry had he begun between Jack and Wild without even knowing it? And _she_ didn't know it either, which would just be setting her up to be hurt. Hopefully once she realized what her center was, and how she belonged in the Guardians, the blow that Jack didn't trust her whatsoever wouldn't serve as such a blow. But that was unlikely. It had taken all of them quite awhile to figure out their centers. There was nothing easy about it. Though he figured it must be something critical, or Manny would never have chosen her. After all, there weren't any bag guys out to take over the world or anything.

One way or another, he just hoped that Tooth would have Wild's memories so they could sort all this out before it even began.

* * *

"_What do you mean she doesn't have any?_" Jack shouted at the Fairy, who winced, anxiously wringing her hands. It was out of character for Jack to yell at her, or get so angry so quickly. She couldn't comprehend it.

"I mean that...there are no records of her. None at all. Wild...apparently wasn't _anyone_ before she was chosen," Tooth tried to explain, seeming stunned by this development.

Jack scowled. Tooth nervously backpedaled, not wanting to feel Jack's wrath any longer. He was absolutely livid. "I thought we were _all_ somebody before we were chosen!"

Despite her usual kind nature, Tooth frowned; not even she would let her words be thrown back in her face as such and not do anything about it! "Don't be rude, Jack!" She snapped, and he tried to relax, inhaling and exhaling deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. As he attempted to do as she asked, she continued, voice a little tart still, "Obviously she _was_ somebody. I just never collected her teeth. So, either my fairies lost hers, which I doubt is the case, Pitch stole them, which is also unlikely—I doubt he escaped his Nightmares—she never left them to _be_ collected, or Gabriel has something against her."

He was still angry. But then that anger transformed into confusion. "..Who is Gabriel?"

"An Immortal, like us. He is what humans call an "angel"."

"...Does that mean that there is a devil, too?"

Tooth Fairy pursed her lips. "There is. Humans call her "Lucifer"...which she shortened to "Lucy". She isn't liked much." Jack tried to imagine the fearsome devil Lucy, couldn't, and laughed for awhile.

He sobered up fast. "Where does Gabriel live? Maybe he knows about Wild. I should go talk to him..."

Fidget, fidget. "I'll come with you. He...rather likes me, but I turned him down. He'll be more inclined to answer your questions if I come too." Tooth, after contemplating his reasoning for doing this, concluded that Jack was likely doing it for Wild. It never crossed her mind that it was too discover whether or not he should treat her as a most hated enemy. Placing a dainty hand on his shoulder, she smiled, those purple oculars bright and shining. "This is a really good thing you're doing for her, Jack."

Now it was _his_ turn to fidget, much more awkwardly than her. Or perhaps it was shame? "She can thank me later-first, she has eggs to replace. We'll leave now, then, shall we?" She nodded. This stated, they both took flight, their mission the only thought in their minds.


	5. The Truth

**( GOAL! FINALLY, REVIEWS! Yuurei and EmmerzK, thank you for the feedback, and I'm glad you like it so much! ^^ However, rapid readers, I do hope that having these two (my heroes 3) act will encourage you all to critique, compliment, give ideas, and whatnot as well. There are 8 favorites and 6 followers—I can't imagine that _none_ of you have an opinion on my work. ;] I can't get better if you don't tell me what's what, ladies and gents! )**

One might think that Bunny's Warren, North's Fortress, and Tooth's Castle are rather large, much more so than necessary. At least, Jack had always thought so (partially because _he_ didn't have one). But, upon seeing Gabriel's massive levitating island (located above Mexico so the whether would always be nice), complete with a hot tub, lake-sized pool, spa area, city named "Gabriel Ville" housing too-pretty-to-be-real boys and girls that giggled and acted charming and never stopped smiling, and the oversized completely crystal dome that marked his house, he got a whole new meaning for the word "large". After gaping at the scene for awhile, he looked at Tooth, a million questions buzzing in his mind.

The tri-colored woman wasn't smiling like she usually did. Her lips were pressed into tight line. Bringing her knees up to her chest and drawing her arms closer to her (a habitual action), her violet orbs narrowed as she sighed. "He's always been like this. Passively arrogant. It's gotten worse, actually—the faes are a new touch. I didn't know he'd recruited helpers."

Jack lifted a brow. "Faes? Like...fairies, but spelled wrong?"

She giggled, shaking her head. "Not exactly! Contrary to popular belief, fairies and faes are quite different. Faes have no wings, but many powers, where as fairies—like my Baby Teeth—are more into herbs and potions for healing or other good arts, and can fly. Though mine don't practice that, nor do I. Wild might, though—she's the essence of nature, and nature heals, so it's very possible she may be able to heal others with her magicks." Seeing Jack's interest level abruptly plummet, she winced before getting herself back on track. "Anyway, faes are basically human sized creatures with magic. They can die if they get heartbroken—very sensitive creatures, they are. But they tend to be overly happy people, as you can probably tell. Not particularly powerful, but strong enough to pose as an annoying obstacle." Tooth steeled her nerves, not wanting to face the angel with the ego issues. But she was a friend over a self-centered person, and Jack needed to know about Wild. So, storing her personal problems aside, she smiled thinly at him. "Ready?"

"I guess," he replied, smirking slightly as he saw a male fae trip, his long locks of dreads falling into his face. The blonde girl with him laughed innocently, as did he, and helped him up. They wandered off, babbling about getting facial lifts...Faes were pretty weird. He snickered. But then he became solemn (or tried to), nodding. "Yeah, ready."

For a moment Tooth didn't move to lead the way, simply hovering there at the entrance to Gabriel Ville, smiling at him. A little dreamily too, he might add. Her eyes were a little warmer than usual, face gentle; he felt a little prickle over his skin. Then she seemed flustered, wings beats quickening, before she laughed nervously and turned away. "O-oh. Well, follow me then, champ!" Jack grinned after her. He didn't know what just happened, but that didn't make it any less hilarious. He loved when Tooth got embarrassed over things. She made it so obvious. Then, pushing his laughter back, he dashed after her, catching up in a stride.

She stopped in front of the revolving doors; he landed on the ground and waited for the fae there to scratch down their names before letting them pass through. Jack glanced at the paper and laughed once, so loudly that Tooth and the fae started; the fae's penmanship was all curly-cued, the typical ditzy preteen type of handwriting. It was just what he'd expected it might be. The 'i' in 'Tooth Fairy' even had the dot as a heart. Grinning from ear to ear as he walked by without any more alarming noises, he looked around as he stared at the perfectly sculpted crystal building. Soon his grin softened into a smile of wonder. The walls were iridescent, the blue translucent stone catching the sunlight in all the right places. The faes were in a flurry of activity, taking calls, taking notes, leading tours to younger faes. It was sort of like a museum on Earth, just with less history, and more work—but it was treated like one. People spoke in hushed tones, admired everything, answered questions. Then he adjusted his theory; it was more like a museum and a work office combined. As he observed more, Jack saw that many faes sat in odd looking semi-circular cubicles, doing their business cheerily. He wondered what sort of work the angel had all the faes doing. Guardian or not, what was Gabriel's center?

As he mused about all of this, he noticed Tooth was no longer at his side. His gaze flit around the room worriedly before he relaxed, seeing her approaching a young strawberry blonde woman with golden-brown eyes. Walking after the Fairy as he looked around, he heard her voice say, "Wisteria?" She knew somebody here? Maybe faes were Immortals, too...Jack blinked at the flower name before sneering; it didn't surprise him that a fae would have a flower name. Did they all?

Wisteria looked at Tooth, looked away, and then did an almost comical double take. Her face was the perfect picture of shock and joy. "Oh! My gosh! Tooth Fairy! How are you faring?" _How are you faring?_ Jack thought, grinning from ear to ear. This place was weird.

Tooth smiled blindingly (just like she always did), eyes arching in a pleasant manner. "Very well, actually. With Pitch gone and Jack as a Guardian, things have been a lot easier around here." She smiled at him with a look of complete infatuation, but he was studying a small fae who appeared to have been Asian in some point in time, but got a _lot_ of plastic surgery, laughing quietly to himself. Embarrassed and glad he hadn't seen her expression, Tooth looked back at Wisteria. "Are you busy?"

Contemplating this for a moment, Wisteria shook her head, her perfect ginger waves dancing around her head. Jack's gaze was caught by it, curious more than attracted to it. Was all girl's hair like that, never falling out of place? First he considered Tooth, before realizing she didn't have any hair. He then thought about Wild, but except for the two short strands that hung by the sides of her face, it was always in a ponytail and didn't have a lot of wiggle-room to _get_ messed up. His mind raced to Tabitha, and her mop of hair, the glint of her eyes, her smile—He winced at the memories. Although he hadn't mentioned it to anyone, he'd been dreaming about that weird little human who didn't know they existed, yet still believed in them. She'd been in his thoughts all the time, 24/7, even with this whole "Wild taking over his place" business. Why hadn't she been in the city, or in _any_ of the houses in the city? Why hadn't she told him where she lived, or where to meet? Or rather, why hadn't he chosen a spot to meet? How stupid of him! He had so many questions, for her, for himself...it was all her fault. "Of course!" Wisteria giggled, and his mind was dragged back to the present, though his icy blue eyes were filled with pain. "Right this way!" She turned to lead the way, and Tooth Fairy followed. After a moment of silence, he swallowed those strange emotions revolving around Tabitha and walked after the two girls, trying to focus.

After passing through several rooms that were very frilly, dainty colors, they reached an elevator (rather, it functioned like an elevator—it was a marble-textured stone with no walls or ceiling that rose up into the air after 3+ seconds of the weight upon it not moving). The ride up made Jack laugh, being the type to enjoy most everything in life; Tooth, however, clung to him. He didn't quite understand why. If she were to fall, she could just _fly_, anyway! When the elevator-ish-thing stopped, Wisteria walked off and led them down a long corridor. At the end were two brass doors, tall and monstrous. Way larger than they needed to be, in the Guardian's opinion.

With a shy expression, Wisteria rapped her knuckles smartly on one of the doors. "Gabriel, honey? You have company. A-" She glanced back at the two, probably to ensure she got their names right. "-Jack Frost and Tooth Fairy."

The doors blew open, and a tall man, perhaps twenty of age, pulled Wisteria into a colossal hug. He had long blonde hair kept in a low ponytail that barely went past his shoulder blades, hazel eyes, a chiseled, rugged look about him, and a big smile. Any human in their right mind would describe him as "attractive". Standing at 6'5" with long, elegant white wings (10ft wingspan, give or take?), not a feather out of place, draped in a cream and golden robe that stopped at his ankles, where his white and gold laced moccasins took over. If one were to imagine Gabriel, he would look like this.

"Wisteria, darling! You look well," his voice hinted at a French accent, lightly floating over his words, silky and smooth. A voice anybody could trust, whether they wanted to or not. Jack felt himself relaxing already, growing comfortable, even though he wasn't the one being hugged. Wisteria, for her part, finally hugged back, cheeks a rather ravishing shade of red. She was completely speechless in his presence. Covering his mouth with a hand, Jack chuckled into it, pleased with this situation immensely. Faes cracked him up.

Then the Frenchman's gaze settled upon Tooth, and his face darkened, eyes growing wide and sparkly, the perfect depiction of a lovestruck youth. "_Tooth Fairy_!" He crowed, jovial, releasing Wisteria, who had draped herself over him like she was an ornament and he a Christmas tree, and moving to embrace Tooth. Her thin arms were locked into place, unable to return the favor...or push him away. Watching them, Jack felt any warm feelings toward the man ease away, fast...

Though her expression showed no happiness in seeing him, Tooth tried for a smile anyway. It was just in her nature to be perfect, apparently. "Gabriel. Hi."

He pulled away to grin at her, wings fanning out on either side of his muscular body like a peacock strutting his feathers, his sun-kissed skin seeming to glow. "You look _fantastic_, Tooth! Simply stunning! How long has it been? Five hundred years now, would you say? And if anything, you're even more spectacular than before. Look how wonderfully you've groomed your feathers..!" This stated, the blonde spent a few moments admiring her feathers, while she watched him dryly, exasperated. As he tutted and cooed, she eventually had enough, shooting Jack a helpless look.

Coming to her rescue, he appeared between them, tapping the ground with his cane and freezing Gabriel's foot to the ground. Smirking in a mischievous fashion, Jack tipped an imaginary hat to the angel, who yelped at the ice over his foot, and pleasantly (enough) said, "Nice ta meetcha, O Winged One." Judging by the ever so subtly fainter smile, Gabriel didn't like his title. But Jack was far from caring. "We're here to ask you something. Since your work has something to do with it, I figured you'd be the one to come to."

Saving face as best he could, Gabriel allowed a sheepish smile, taking a few healthy steps back. "Sorry; that must've been awkward. Tooth Fairy and I are old friends." Again Jack had to bite back a laugh, recalling Tooth's earlier tale; they were anything _but_ friends. Gabriel was just trying to make him jealous. Seeing it didn't work, the Angel coughed into a hand to draw attention away from his words before beaming again. "You must be Jack Frost! I've heard a lot about you, darling. I'm Gabriel." He stuck out a hand. Remembering Tabitha doing that to him, and Wild taking the initiative and forcefully _taking_ his hand, he reflexively shied away from the thought of ruining those memories by tainting them with him. So he just grabbed his staff tighter with both hands; another self-conscious cough later and Gabriel was turning around to lead them in into his extraneously profligate room of more golds and creams, with plenty of furniture, space, and sculptures of himself plastered everywhere. Way too much. "Come in, come in! I'll call you back when I need you, ok, Wisteria?" He verified kindly, untangling himself from the obsessed fae and giving her a little push toward the door. Nodding silently, smiling to herself, the women left, closing the doors behind her.

Gabriel grinned, folding his wings neatly against his back; a well-practiced art, Jack was sure—those wings were huge, and he assumed they were awkward at first to try and maneuver around with. He guessed it had probably taken a lot of time. Once he saw Jack and Tooth were done looking (with disgust, mostly), he stopped his trek, looking distantly out the window, trying to look otherwise engaged. The Guardian of Fun was not impressed. "It's quite a lot, isn't it? This city.." He murmured to himself, mind flying away to happier places.

"Sometimes," Jack stage-whispered to Tooth, just loud enough so Gabriel could hear, "people like to state the obvious in really profound voices. I've heard the kids of the world do it to try and sound smart. Doesn't work too well, really." The Fairy snorted, then covered her mouth, horrified with the sound she'd made. Jack laughed, shooting her a conspiratory grin.

Gabriel glared at the two, livid. "So, what do you want?" the Angel almost snapped, patience wearing thin for this ungrateful child who had come in here, swept the love of his life off her feet, and then made fun of him, completely uncalled for. In his eyes, he had done nothing wrong. For how could an Angel do wrong? He had no idea.

Glancing nervously at Jack for riling the stuffy Immortal up, Tooth fluttered anxiously in the air, wincing slightly. "Ah...well...you see, we have a new Guardian." Gabriel's eyes widened a little, and Tooth pressed on, encouraged now that she had his attention. "She is Mother Nature, but we call her Wild."

"Short for Wilderness," Jack put in, feeling the need to explain something.

"Yes." Tooth agreed, a little miffed for being interrupted. She already had to fix what Jack had damaged! But his little half-smile was appearing, and with a warm feeling in her chest, she swiftly forgot her annoyance. "What Jack said! But she can't remember anything of her past." She didn't mention how Jack hadn't been able to find his memories either, nor did she imply such a thing. She knew that if she did, Jack would soon be the butt of _all_ the Immortal's jokes, and with Jack's child's stubbornness, guy pride, and personality-based sensitivity, he'd never be able to handle it. "And I have no records of her." His eyebrows shot up. "So—I was wondering—since you are in charge of keeping albums and whatnot of all life on Earth, if you could lend us her human file. I-it would help us figure out her center, and help her realize her purpose. She could learn from it. We all need our memories, and since I cannot help her, you must,Gabriel."

She gave him a pleading look, and after basking in the glow of her praises (much to Jack's irritation), he smiled, much more broadly than ever before. "I'd love to help. Let me go find it.." Cupping a hand to his mouth, he called loudly, "Primrose! Prim!" From behind a couch, a child-sized fae stood, with olive eyes, a freckled face, glasses, and dark, voluptuous hair. "I trust you heard everything." A nod. "Could you find her file, please?" The girl (whom Jack decided was Gabriel's secretary) nodded again and buzzed off to find it. Several minutes passed, and Gabriel began to frown. "..Strange. It never takes this-"

"It's not here!" Her voice was shrill. "I searched _everything_ she could have _possibly_ been. All recent deaths, all girls her age, all girls born in approximately the same year as her, all recent Guardians...She has _no_ file. She doesn't _exist._"

At this point in time, both Jack and Tooth's eyes became round and glassy with astonishment, jaws dropping. After he let this sink in, he couldn't resist a surge of pity for his rival. This was _terrible_. At least _he,_ eventually, had regained his memories. It seemed Wild never could. _How will she ever become a full Guardian?_

"B-but how can that be?" squeaked Tooth Fairy, shaking her head as if she could physically change this fact."She _had _to exist! We are _all_ somebody before we are chosen, Guardian or not! There is no way she can be alive otherwise, and we are _certainly _not hallucinating her!"

Meekly, Gabriel shrugged. His wings twitched. "I don't have the answers, Tooth. To my knowledge, this cannot happen. I'd bring it up with Manny, honestly—he'll have an answer for you. That is, supposing you can find a way to get up there." She twinged; he knew they had yet to discover a more direct way of contacting the Man on the Moon other than whenever he wanted to contact _them_. "It may be Pitch, too. He can create Nightmares—quite possibly he invented her."

"And tricked Manny?" Jack asked dubiously.

"I guess. I already told you I have no idea." Gabriel shrugged again, exhaling heavily. "I'm sorry. That's all I can say." For a moment Jack didn't say anything. A shadow was cast over his face, eyes hidden in it so his emotions couldn't be seen, staring at Gabriel in complete silence. Then he ran past him, hopping out the open window, and flew toward the city's exit.

"Oh, _Jack_," Tooth moaned, voice filled with pain for her friend. With a fleeting glance of apology and worry toward the Angel, she darted out after him, quickly beating her wings to catch up with her clearly upset friend, hoping she'd be able to comfort him.

* * *

As he watched them fly away, Gabriel's pitying smile turned into a grimace. Turning away, he muttered to Primrose, "You're dismissed for the day." Still fretful, she nodded and left the room, not even saying goodbye. But that was like her. She was quiet, and good at keeping secrets. That's why he had her around.

Without another word, the Angel wandered out of his room, reaching out to grab a miniature statue of himself by the head; he pulled it. A lever! With a croak, a hallway was created through the wall, showing a staircase that disappeared into blackness. He followed it, and it closed up behind him. After walking for a few seconds, he reached the end—a small candlelit room with a single cabinet, not cream and gold like his other ones. Not even bothering to look around to see if anyone was watching him, Gabriel crouched, curling in his wings to keep them from smashing against the walls of the cramped space, and opened the drawer. In it were two files that Primrose had not located, nor did she know about. One had a name written in a different language, and the picture next to it was a recognizable one; Wild, in her current form. All pictures of the person were updated as they progressed; Tooth's, North's, Bunny's, and Sandy's all changed the moment they became Immortals, and then Guardians. It was the same for everybody.

It was the file next to her's that was the shocker.

The name, in English, said this: _Jack Frost._

Looking at Jack's file in obvious dislike, Gabriel mumbled to himself, "I made the mistake with you already. Tooth Fairy is good at her job, and had your teeth. I was close, so _close_...But _her._" The male reached down, picking up both their files to tuck under his arm. Laying in the bottom of the drawer was a small cylindrical tube, just like the ones that Tooth had. It showed a girl with red hair and green eyes, just like Wild—it even had her random golden speckles. These were no doubt _Wild's_ teeth. "I'm not messing up again. Never."

And, like all trademark villains did (and practiced like _hell_), Gabriel threw back his head and laughed heartily in a cackle, proud beyond belief. This time the Guardians would NOT sabotage his plan!


	6. Down The Rabbit Hole

**( Ah, the audience stirs! *excited wiggle* I love you guys, and I love the impact that last chapter received. I've also learned that there are more JackxWild supporters than JackxTabitha or JackxTooth [I am personally a JackxBunny fan when I'm not creating OCs, but I haven't conveyed their sexual tensions so far, which is the only reason they are not listed with the others], which I am surprised by. And rather pleased, too. It means my character is more popular, HA! *is totally vain* Anyway, keep the reviews comin', homo sapiens, and I will keep the chapters coming! )**

It took precisely 10 minutes, 42 seconds, and 10 milliseconds (Tooth should know, she counted) to reach Jack after he had jumped out the window.

"Jack! _Jack_!" She called breathlessly, _finally_ managing to overtake him, pulling up sharply in front of the male. Instead of stopping, he barreled right into her, too far gone to care. Tooth Fairy shrieked, before relaxing once the initial shock was gone, winding her arms around him to hold him close. Their speed decreased as Jack all but melted into her arms, resting his forehead on her shoulder. Not hugging her back, but still...he didn't pull away. That said something, didn't it? Trying to ignore the ping of joy ricocheting off her insides, Tooth rubbed his back in that comforting, motherly way she had, resting her cheek against him. She saw what looked suspiciously like a tear on his face, and her eyes widened slightly, surprised. "Jack...what happened? Are you alright?"

It took him a moment to answer. He took a shaky breath, then, voice thick with emotion, he muttered, "_I'm_ fine. But _Wild_..._Wild_. She's worse off than I ever was. She was never anybody. She's never felt love before. Never gotten a hug, never been kissed on the forehead by a parent, never had a younger siblings hold her hand, never been trusted..." Trust. Even _he_ had denied her that. "I just...she's just..." _I pity her. I shouldn't, but I do. I feel _awful _for her._ But he knew she would be furious if he told her that—Wild was like him, too proud for her own good. "I can't even imagine. Her pain. Her suffering, even though she doesn't know she is suffering. She's nothing, she's _no one_. And that feeling...it isn't one I'd wish upon _anybody_."

Tooth stiffened beneath him. She'd always known there was more to Jack than the playful, rugged, fun-loving demeanor he always exhibited. And now that she saw it, she had no idea what to do.

She must have waited a little too long, for soon he was pushing himself away from her, slowly, dislodging from her embrace. He seemed a little embarrassed, and wiped an arm across his face. His smile was already plastered on. "Well...thanks for that, Tooth. But we'd better go report back to Bunny and North. I'll...I'll take Bunny." For some reason he just wanted to talk to the Australian. It had nothing to do with Wild being there. No way. "Catch you later, alright?" Tooth Fairy hesitated, then sighed, nodding. Jack grinned before turning, flying toward the Warren. After a moment in which she just watched him longingly, she headed north . Maybe she would even come across the Sandman and explain the situation to him as well while she was there.

* * *

"I'm in love with her."

"You're in love with her?"

Bunny nodded. "I dunno why I never saw it before.." He said dreamily, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. "She just has that _way_ about her, y'know? Her womanly charms, the way she walks, her laugh, her smile...And she tried _so _hard to figure out her powers and bring back my eggs, mate. It touched me. Like you wouldn't _believe_.."

"And you're sure this has _nothing_ to do with the fact that you're an animal, and _all_ animals love her?" Jack asked sardonically, gaze deadpan.

"...I don't know what you're talking about," Bunny muttered, totally in denial, looking across the Warren to where Wild was speeding up and slowing down the aging process of Snickerdoodlemuffin (her greyhound) and some of the chicks she'd hatched. Already there were a few chickens clucking about, and a few chicks in egg stage again.

This was how Jack had found them, Wild playing with her powers, and Bunny mooning over her. Of course, Jack knew that Bunny was deluded, and Wild had _definitely_ used her magic on him unintentionally. However, seeing the rabbit like this was very amusing indeed. Jack's worries faded very soon after coming here, put at ease by Wild's jokes and Bunny's "feelings" for her.

As if reading his thoughts, Wild appeared near him, holding up a camouflage shirt that looked similar to hers in style. His eyebrows shot up, and she grinned broadly at him. "I'm running an experiment about whether or not camouflage actually works, and Bunny refused to wear clothes for it. So, due to his passion to be naked, I was hoping you would agree to participate!" Did she have to phrase it like that? At the word naked, Bunny let out a soft groan, very likely imaging Wild without clothes. Ignoring the sudden flush of his own skin, Jack nodded to her, "Sure, I'll do it." Taking the shirt, he pulled it on over his own. A little big, but other than that it fit nicely. He stepped back into the shadows of a giant egg-boulder, features hidden. "Can you still see me?"

He was shocked when Wild let out a squeal, jumping back, eyes wide. "Who said that?" Wild asked, looking around in all directions. Then she relaxed. "Oh, it's only you, Jack! I didn't see you there in that camouflage."

Jack favored her a long-suffering look. "That's not funny, Wild Child." He grumbled, put out.

She grinned. "Clever name! That shirt must be making you think like me!"

After a moment in which he simply _reeked_ of injured dignity, Jack sat down, hugged his knees to his chest in an effort to hide his bright hair, attempted to sit completely still, and called out, "Can you see me now?"

Wild pretended to search for him. "..I can just make you out." After eight or nine times of Jack trying to disappear, she sighed heavily, patience worn thin with her failing experiment. "Jack," she told him kindly, "your hair is as white as snow, you're as pale as I am, and you _cannot sit still_. Of course I can see you!"

"Use your imagination, Wild!" Jack told her, laughing.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "I have eggs to create."

"Alright, come visit later!" Then, grinning, he asked, "Are you sure you won't lose track of me? I could just disappear in the dark..."

"I'll do my best," she grumbled through gritted teeth, and then, much to her chagrin, both Jack and Bunny burst out laughing. Wild pouted for a moment. "Hey! Stop it! Don't laugh!" Then, slyly, she added, "Besides, with your new-found camouflage skills," she drawled, making both men quiet down so they could hear her, "I could lose you anywhere. And I'll be sure to leave you all by yourself somewhere terrifying, where no one will ever find you, and just say that your camo techniques are too great." This said, she wandered off to some of Bunny's flowers, ready to work her magic.

Though Jack still worried about her stealing his place as a Guardian, he found himself less and less concerned. He could relate to her ideas of being a nobody. It was hard to hate somebody worse off than him. She could never be a true Guardian until she found out who she was. Despite everything, he still found her absolutely hysterical. For the time being, he was treating her like he had the first time they'd met. Though part of him still wished she hadn't been chosen to be a Guardian. Pushing these thoughts aside, he looked back at Bunny, filling him in on what Tooth and him had discovered. "So," he finished, wincing at what he was going to say, "I think I'm going to go find Pitch and interrogate him."

Bunny's green eyes widened in surprise. "_What_?" cried the 6" rodent, stunned, voice cracking in disbelief. "But...but...you'll be killed! That's a suicide mission if I ever heard one, Jack Frost! You cannot honestly intend to do something like that alone!" Jack's face set rigidly, lower lip jutting out in defiance, and Bunny discovered that _yes,_ actually, Jack _did_ fully intend to do this alone. Then, sighing, he muttered, "There'll be no stopping you, will there? Crikey.." Jack shook his head, tugging the camouflage shirt off over his head. "Then I'm coming too."

"And me!" Both of them started, looking over to see Wild had doubled back at some point and was standing before them, hands on her hips, eyes blazing. Probably returned for the shirt, Jack expected. "I'm coming, too."

"No," Jack replied flatly, expression hardening. Bunny, he noticed with irritation, had his lovestruck gaze on Wild, and was definitely not backing him up. Traitor.

Fire burned in her gaze, and she clenched her fists, angry lines crinkling near her eyes where usually only smiling ones gathered. He'd never seen her this angry before. Actually, he'd never seen her angry at _all_. The air suddenly seemed warmer, the temperature rising...well, it seemed Wild had officially awoken yet another ability. Changing the temperature. _That_ should be a fun one to explore. "And why not? I am perfectly capable of fighting, and who _knows_ what sort of abilities I have to discover? You could use me!"

Bunny shot Jack a knowing look. "See?" He asked, and Jack gave him a look; this had absolutely _nothing_ to do with Bunny's feelings, not at all! This proved _nothing_, no matter what Bunny wanted to think! "Troublesome." Bunny was trying to help her, and show Jack that the woman he loved would not be put down. Jack saw no correlation; these traits Wild was conveying were not attractive in _any_ way.

"Besides, I heard the end of what you said. You still don't know who I am." Wild told Jack firmly, crossing her arms, narrowing her oculars. It was evident that, by her mannerisms, that was all she knew—that they didn't know who she was yet. She didn't know that she never existed. "It's my right to figure that out. That way, if it turns out I was..." Her voice wavered. "..a terrible person as a human, I can repent, and try again. I can fix things." Then her voice grew stronger with more conviction. "And I'm not taking no for an answer!"

"Insubordinate," Bunny went on dramatically, shaking his head in a sorrowful fashion. He was ignored by both of them.

Jack ground his teeth, finding this situation frustrating. "Well, you'll have to. You're new to the field, and will just get in the way. There's no way we're putting you in danger." He looked her in the eye meaningfully.

She met his gaze with total confidence. "You're not in charge of me. I'll follow anyway."

"_Ah_!" Bunny exclaimed, smirking. "Rebellious!" Now Jack was sure he was just enforcing Wild to get on Jack's nerves, and not so much because she'd fooled him into loving her. The Winter sprite shot a baleful look at the hare.

A few seconds of silence passed with Wild and Jack just staring at each other, butting heads. His silence made Wild nervous, however, as did this fighting; it wasn't in his nature to do anything but smile and laugh. And he _shouldn't_ have to do anything but smile and laugh. Any other expression looked foreign on his face, like it shouldn't be there. Wild would do anything to get that smile back. Her features softened, and Jack blinked, shocked by it. "'Sides, no one will ever see me, with my camouflage. I'll be invisible," she told him good-naturedly, watching with delight as he grinned despite himself.

"They'll have no hope," he agreed, forgetting he was supposed to be against her getting involved. He also missed the gleeful exchange of looks that Bunny and Wild exchanged.

"None at all," she agreed, smiling brilliantly. One win for Wild, none for Jack!

* * *

"Are you looking for a secret passageway?" Wild asked quizzically as Jack snooped around the clearing of the forest where the entrance to Pitch Black's hideout had once been. He had already tried to dig up the original one, failed, and now was just searching for...something. He refused to elaborate. Bunny and Wild shared a glance.

To her inquiry, Jack laughed, not even sparing her a look. "A secret passageway? You, Wild, watch way too many mystery movies." He told her, crouching by a tree and rapping on it.

Wild folded her arms under her bosom, raising a brow. "Well, are you?"

A pause. "Well, yes. But that's merely a coincidence," Jack insisted, ignoring Wild's grin. Bunny slunk off, aiding in the search as well. Wild didn't exactly know what to look for, so she just stood there, tugging one of her bangs, bored. After a few minutes, Jack glanced back at Wild, noticing that she'd been staring at Bunny for awhile? He fought back a snicker. She wasn't _actually_ recuperating Bunny's feelings, was she? "What are you thinking about, Wild?"

"Many clever things. Mostly involving my superior stance in this relationship, and a plan to get to Black's place." She replied loftily, smiling to herself. They waited for her idea, and she allowed the suspense to continue, just for a while longer. Then she broke into a large grin. "Bunny, did it ever cross your mind to just...create a burrow?" Bunny stared at her for a moment, then looked at his long foot, then looked at the ground.

".._Crikey!"_

Even though they were both exasperated from having waited around here for such an excessive amount of time when the means to their entry was literally _right there_, Jack and Wild guffawed, leaning over and just laughing hysterically until they cried.

As they began to ease down, Jack cast Wild a dry look. "You're very impressed with yourself, aren't you?"

"Exceedingly so," Wild replied with a snicker. A soft rumbling sound was heard, and she looked over to see Bunny had tapped his foot and opened a tunnel into Pitch's turf. Without a word, she hopped into it, cannonball-style.

Bunny looked after her, laughing to himself. "She's certainly something."

Jack smiled slightly. "She sure is. You ready?"

"No," the Easter Bunny answered honestly, before jumping in. With a loud, short bark of laughter, Jack hopped in after him, and the hole closed up after them.

Damn. The three certainly did _not_ think this through.


	7. The Compromise

**( Waaaaahhh. Sites are inviting me to write on their sites because of this story. I'm so glad I got back on here. T_T Anyway, I'm glad to see that this FF is becoming so beloved. We're on a roll here, people! So thank you for the feedback, keep up with critiques and predictions, and keeeeeeeeeeeep reading! Also—just curious—does anyone have a guess about what Wild's center is? I already have it planned out, and if you get it right, I am willing to tell you. C: It's...semi-obvious? Either way, you should try. I will give any winners shout outs. ALSO—_do not review me guesses. PM me so you won't spoil it for others!_ All winners will be sworn to secrecy. This is an ongoing contest of wits. Thanks, lovenuggets! ~=w=~ )**

A short drop, a hop, and a highly ungraceful landing later, the three arrived in what was once Pitch Black's thriving layer. Under Venice, Italy was a palace that had sunken into the ocean floor, surrounded by mud and rock. It's a huge underground base with multiple cages, dungeons, rooms, escalators, and bridges, built on an angle so it feels like its falling off a cliff into an abyss. It was straight out of Wild's nightmares...

...Which is exactly what the Boogeyman would want, now, isn't it?

Picking herself up from her backside (Jack and Bunny, both whom had far more practice than she, had landed on their feet like cats), Wild looked around, her green oculars stretched wide in amazement. "Wow, Jack," she exclaimed, her hushed tones echoing off the walls, practically a shout, "this is _just_ as you described it!" The night that they had met, Jack had told her all about the recent events (or, rather, about his post-Guardian/soon-to-be-Guardian life), including Pitch's lair. It was exactly as she'd envisioned it.

Flicking his hood up over his silvery haired head, the boy walked a few paces, clutching his staff with both hands, looking around. Her voice had set them all on edge; had anybody heard them? After a few moments in which they all looked around, silent as the grave, searching for anything, a snuffling could be heard. _A Nightmare!_ Nightmares were the dark, shadowy steeds Pitch created, feeding off of fear and transforming dreams into nightmares. In his fall, hundreds of them had surrounded Pitch and overwhelmed him, dragging him down into his own home. What happened, none of the Guardians know. But now, for Wild's sake, they needed to find out.

Pressing back against a wall, they all held very still. The walls were dark and cluttered, and Wild had to admit that none of them blended in very well. The snorting continued, though the creature didn't become visible yet, and she felt around on the wall, anticipation sending her blood raging through her veins. Breathing shaky, she focused, trying to figure out a way to keep them alive and out of reach.

And then her arm disappeared.

Wild's eyes widened the moment she noticed. Staring at her arm, perplexed, she was so astonished that she forgot to breathe momentarily. Then, curious instead of worried, she urged that coloring to continue across her flesh. It only made sense that Mother Nature, when in danger, would be able to blend with her natural surroundings, did it not? A smile flourished across her face, and she moved quickly, grabbing Bunny's paw in her own (he nearly fainted from the action), and placing a hand on Jack's cheek, not wanting to risk freezing her hand by touching his arm or something, seeing as his phalanges continued to hold that staff of his. Pushing her powers outside of her own body, she watched with satisfaction as the grey-blueish coloring flushed their skin, mimicking the wall's shade. Bunny gawked at her, and then at his fur, while Jack just stiffened, refusing to do anything at all, his breathing, which had previously been shallow, evening out as his fear ebbed—they were much more likely to survive now.

As the fear scent disappeared, the mare stopped, her yellow eyes narrowing; they could see half of her body know, searching around the corner, ears flickering. Its body was so black it almost blended into the dark better than they did. Finally, with a whinny and a kick of her hooves on the stone, it turned in a huff and cantered away. All three of them released their breath.

"So..." Wild breathed out the words, not wanting to get them into that situation again. "..That's a Nightmare?"

Hesitantly, Jack nodded. "That," he agreed softly, "is a Nightmare."

They all became quiet. Then Wild giggled. Both men shot her a look, and, grinning and covering her mouth with a small hand, she explained in a muffled voice, "It's just...it's very punny. Y'know...they're mares, and they come out at night. Mares...female horses. Night...darkness. Nightmares." Another giggle. But then, seeing the others were just staring at her, obviously not as impressed by her literary knowledge and the idea of a pun as she was, she cleared her throat and pressed on. "Anyway—off to find the Boogeyman we go?"

Bunny spoke for the first time yet. "You bet your bloody butt we are. We'll give sneaking about a fair go, and if that doesn't work, then we'll have a burl at charging head on." As he spoke, Wild released his hand, and he was at once his usual blue, white, and black colored pelt.

Jack turned to face Bunny, grinning, the movement removing Wild's hand from his cheek, his skin flashing back to its normal color. He missed it—it was warm (and anything in comparison to him was warm) and soft. Reassuring, even. "And you call _me_ irresponsible."

* * *

After (quite) a bit of sneaking about, often with a lot less skill than they all bragged about, the trio got close enough to the center of Pitch's cavern to see the hanging cages and the globe, all aglow as always. The sight of it brought a smile to Wild's face—she had yet to be to North's fortress, and was now given a basis to build her hopes up upon.

However, reaching this point was no easy feat. Around basically _every_ corner was a Nightmare, standing guard the castle, keeping intruders out...or possibly even keeping something in. There were more in this main part than anywhere else in the building, a fact the others found strange. By now, they had expected Pitch to have regained his throne and began to rile up his Nightmares again, stir up chaos, try and take over the world. Yet they didn't see him, or hear him talking to himself, or sense any sort of malevolence whatsoever. It was unsettling to say the least.

They crouched lower behind the rocks they had finally reached, searching for a sign. "W-wait." Jack and Wild straightened up slightly, looking and Bunny, and then tried to follow his gaze to see what he was seeing. "I think...there's somebody in...the cage in the middle," he whispered, his accent slurring the words together...or maybe that was his sudden surge of terror. With a sense of foreboding, the two seasonal Guardians looked up. Wild covered her eyes with her hands, and Jack winced, a pained look flashing over his face. To see his rival brought down to such a level...it was painful.

He was still tall, lithe, and shrouded in black garb that looked like a shadow in itself. With his dull, pale grey skin, and glossy black hair that was styled so it came out in slick spikes from the back of his head, he didn't look to far from the norm...at first glance. But, other than that, it was obvious he wasn't in a good state. Leaning his head against the bars of the hanging cage, they could see how gaunt he was, thin and weaker than before. His clothes were worn and tattered, and blood dripped from several different places, including the side of his head where something must have clobbered him pretty hard. This Pitch Black was _nothing_ like the one that the Guardians had encountered seventy-eight years ago.

Green, blue, and green-and-gold eyes exchanged a quick look of horror. Then, without a word, they moved together, aiming to get closer to the cage. Although the Nightmares were only drawn to those whom they smelled fear on, they were willing to bet that things had changed. After all, they were already so strong without Pitch leading them. It was safe enough to guess that things didn't work the way they once had anymore.

Instead of going down, deeper into the lair to stand beneath the cage, they decided to work their way up into the higher cliffs and ledges, hoping to jump their way across. Wild had playfully suggested they ride the Nightmares, but instead of joining her in the fun and games that was her life, she was shot down coldly. So, irked, she just pursed her lips and followed after them, going suspiciously quiet. But her feelings didn't matter right now. They needed to get to Pitch and speak with him. Jack partially wanted to release him too, but—that would leave him as a hostile force in the world, which him and the Guardians couldn't have. It would be too dangerous. All they could do was be kind to the King of Nightmares during interrogation, he supposed...

A half hour later or so, they reached a perch high enough that they could act without fear of being seen by the thousand-large Nightmare horde. Bunny sprang across, landing on the cage; it rattled, but the Nightmares must have been used to that, for none of them looked up or around, and continued on their watch. The rock the cage was connected to crackled slightly; it was _ancient_, and the idea of it being old enough to crumble and break would not have been a surprising one. Wild paused, for once her courageousness slipping. She studied the gap; she didn't have Bunny's powerful legs, or Jack's power of flight. How did they expect her-?

In the instance she thought that, Jack was standing before her, squatting. Wild blinked; her gaze landed upon him, questioningly. The male looked back at her with those cobalt eyes, eyebrows arched. He nodded to his back, and it took everything she had not to laugh at the proposition, though she _did_ smile rather widely. With a grateful dip of her head, she crouched and sprawled upon his back, legs entwining around his middle loosely while her arms slipped around his neck and shoulders, tightening to ensure she wouldn't fall. He stood with ease (for a stick, he was stronger than he looked), arms arranging themselves under her muscled legs to hold her in place, hunching over to give Wild a more comfortable ride, holding his staff carefully out of reach so not to ice her. Then he took a running start and jumped off the rock, flying over to the cage. He heard her breathless giggles, felt the gentle vibrate of her body with the force of her laughter she made such an effort to contain. Her tiny nose brushed his earlobe, cheek pressed to his jawline, tight in a grin, holding him tighter, seeming to snuggle closer, despite how cold he must be making her. Jack tried not to be too aware of her large breasts squashed against his back, though it was difficult. Though he found both Tooth and Wild very beautiful, the only thing that would peg Wild above the fairy was that _she_, unlike the hummingbird-fairy mix, had breasts. A fact he found himself appreciating immensely in that moment.

They landed, and the cage gave an answering groan. Wild clambered up his back and clung onto the bars of the cage, holding herself there, while Jack moved back off and hovered beside Wild, peering at the broken man within. Feeling his cage swaying, along with the creaks and moans of the metal as extra weight was given to it, Pitch Black stirred, one silver-gold eye opened. The other followed, though it was so bruised around it, he could hardly see using that one. At first it didn't seem to sink in who they were. Eventually, however, he sighed and closed his eyes again.

"..Here to taunt, Frost?"

Although Pitch couldn't see him know through his closed eyes, Jack shook his head, a little melancholy. "..No. I'm not. We just have questions for you.." Bunny, who usually had some sort of smart-ass comment for Pitch at all times, was silent for his part. Quite the change. It just went to show how truly horrid this situation was.

"No we don't." Jack jerked his eyes wide, whipping his head around to look at Wild. Her ponytail had fallen over her shoulder and into the cage, tickling Pitch's ear as he laid there, bleeding, living in his own waste and filth. He twitched, trying to escape; she pulled her hair out of there, not having intended for it to even _be_ there in the first place, before continuing. "We can ask him later, Jack. When we're out of here, and he's safe and sound." Before Jack could explain to her that he would never be safe and sound, and that he'd be staying here, Wild had shimmied down so her face was at the same height as Pitch's, eyes bright. "Hi, you! I'm Wild, also known as Mother Nature."

His eyes had opened again and were looking at her wearily. He didn't even smile. "This isn't a game, you little brat. This is _humiliating._ I know you three came here to make fun, and I will not give you the go ahead. Do find a well and fall in it, please," his soft British voice told them all sternly, before he attempted to turn away from them, succeeding in reopening his head wound, which began to bleed freshly. He let out a pitiful cry, but did nothing to staunch the flow. Irritated now, he muttered, "I know I failed before. I know. I tried to take on all the Guardians at once, created an army, attempted to win back the belief from the children, and got my ass handed to me. I don't care anymore. Just don't make fun. Go away."

She was silent for a beat. Then, beaming that disarming smile she had, Wild gushed, "That's _amazing_, Pitch! All on your own you did that? _Awesome_!"

"I know what you're thinking. You w-" The Boogeyman stopped suddenly. He looked back toward her, out from under the blood and bruises. His expression was the essence of pure and utter shock. "_What_?!"

Wild grinned. "What what?"

"You..." Unable to find the words for a moment, the man mimed his intentions, and Wild watched him in complete incomprehension. "You think that...me doing all that is...amazing?" breathed the man, his eyes brightening, something akin to hope on his face.

She nodded immediately, the sincerity in her face evident. "I do! All on your own, and just to _think,_ you came pretty close, too! That's incredible. I mean, I'm sorry you had to resort to doing it, and I'm not saying I agree with your methods...But for what you accomplished, and the ingenuity of your plan? I think you're pretty amazing, Pitch Black." Her voice was filled with such earnestness, that it was hard to doubt it. And why would he? Wild was probably no good at lying, anyway.

Jack met Bunny's gaze, just as baffled as the rabbit was. Wild's intentions were unclear to the both of them. Pitch, however, who had been alone his entire existence, and had even been rejected by _Jack Frost_, the only person who could have possibly stood a chance of understanding him, was completely awestruck by this new development, and was looking at Wild with wonder. "..You think I'm amazing."

Smiling, she nodded again. "I think you're amazing."

The Boogeyman looked at Jack and Bunny. "...She thinks I'm amazing."

In unison, the two replied, "She thinks you're amazing." Though, as to _why_, the two would _never_ understand.

But Wild had already began speaking again, and her reasoning began to dawn on them. Though they still didn't get why she meant every word she said to Pitch, things became much more lucid. "Look, Pitch...I believe in you. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who does, even if it seems to be the case at the present moment. I want to help you. But I won't get the cooperation of these fine fellows," the self-elected diplomat gestured respectfully to them (if you consider jerking a thumb over her shoulder and pointing at them with a bored expression on her face "respectful" in ANY way, shape, or form), "unless you promise to answer the questions they ask you truthfully, _when_ they ask you them." At the idea of interacting with the two Guardians, Pitch's slightly happier expression faded, and he looked defiant. Then, stunning all of them (even herself), she reached into the cage and clutched his hands, tightly, as if she were afraid to let them go. Again, the King of Nightmares was won over by her, wonder blossoming through him again. Despite himself, he returned her squeeze with one of his own, weak though it was; he'd been craving acceptance all these years, longing not to be alone anymore, to be believed in, to have companionship, and now he got all of those things in one person, in _one day_, even though he was _literally_ at rock bottom, the lowest of the low. Not to mention the fact that he'd probably never had friendly human contact before in all his existence, and, like all other humanistic creations, needed it to survive. "Please, Pitch. I promise they won't do anything other than that, and they will be nothing but kind to you. Then, if you'd like, you can stay with me or something. I can't live in the Warren forever, and I'll need to strike out on my own at _some_ point. You can come, too! We'll be roommates, even! You don't have to be alone anymore, Pitch. And maybe I can help you with your current Nightmare issue, or even with getting children to believe in you!" Then her smile evaporated, replaced with a reproachful look. "..As long as you don't plan to take over the world and eliminate the Guardians again, that is. I'm sure that, in time, there can be a place with equal balance between the Guardians and our light, and you and your dark."

Pitch was so overcome, he hadn't even noticed she had said "our". Identifying herself as one of the Guardians. He hooked his gaze with hers, unblinkingly for a moment, judging her honesty. How much of her he could trust. But looking into those gleaming orbs, free of guile, full of excitement, he found that he could do nothing _but_ believe her. She was like a child, an open book. Free for the world to read, and write all over, whatever they so wished to. And, in that instance, he knew his answer, and whispered, "I would like that."

While the two male Guardians goggled at the two, then at each other, Wild smiled knowingly, as if she'd guessed the outcome of her spiel. "I rather thought you might. My female intuition, one might say." Then, smiling still, she looked over her shoulder, withdrawing one of her hands to tuck one of her bangs behind her ear, eyes trailing over the cavern. "Now," she began cheerfully, "to get past the millions of Nightmares who have just spotted us and are looking at us with the utmost hunger!"


	8. Force of Nature

**( I hate writing several pages of a new Chapter for this and then seeing it barely over half a page in length on FF. It literally kills me. Anyway, it seems that Wild is swiftly becoming more loved, especially after her stunt with Pitch. Glad y'all like her [I do, too.], and keep reading and sending comments! :D You guys rock! Also—I discovered that Leonardo DiCaprio was originally supposed to play Jack Frost. -_- Not sure how I feel about that. Though, due to the fact that I am absolutely in LOVE with Chris Pine's voice/laugh/existence, in my biased opinion, he was better. )**

Several minutes of silence progressed as the four stared at the Nightmare horde beneath them, unable to register what was happening. Then Pitch sank back in the cage, grip on Wild loosening. "We're doomed."

Ever the optimist, Wild shot him a look. "Hey! Don't talk like that, you!" She shook a finger at him to tell him off. "You're only _doomed_ if there's no hope!"

"There's no hope."

"I'm going to demolish you."

"As if that would help your cause."

Taking a deep breath, the redhead glanced at her fellow Guardians. There was a hopeful look on her delicate features. "Any ideas, y'guys?" asked the girl uneasily, meeting their gazes individually. "Jack? Bunny?" So far she was drawing a blank, and worried greatly about their pending escape. How could she live down making all those promises to Pitch and not being able to follow through with a single one of them? That would be highly embarrassing.

"Dunno, mate. Can't make a burrow without solid ground-" Bunny began.

"-and all solid ground is covered with hooves," Wild finished for him with a sigh. She gave Pitch's hand a reassuring squeeze, though it was partially for her own comfort as well. "What do we do?"

A laugh was heard, and they all looked over at the Guardian of Fun, who was grinning from ear to ear. At once Wild felt better, a smile spreading across her face, relieved to hear a positive sound of any kind. "Isn't it obvious? We fight! I call first strike," chuckled the teenager, holding his staff in both hands and pointing it down. His face darkened as he began to focus, seriousness coming over him, and one could hear a pin drop it was so quiet as they all held their breath, watching. White and blue lights were concentrated around the center of the wood, crackling like electricity, before a bolt was channeled from the staff, freezing a good chunk of the Nightmares solid. They ceased to make noises, frozen in place; about a quarter of them, she'd estimate (which only went to show how many of them there were). "Not bad, eh?"

Wild was raising her eyebrows. "I thought you were a Snowman?"

"I'm not a _snowman_. I just...create snow." He replied, a little defensively.

She looked skeptical. "Then what's with the lightning?"

Jack blinked. "..What _lightning_?"

"The lightning that came out of your cane!"

He bristled immediately. "It's not a _cane_! Do you think I'm an old man, Wild Child? It's a _staff_, _obviously_. And that wasn't lightning. It was ice."

"Ice doesn't crackle," Wild began, sticking out her pointer finger to count. "Nor does it cause static electricity, and I'm positive that my hair is frizzing...Ah, what else...? Oh. It isn't supposed to be shot out like a lightning bolt, like yours was." For each reason, she brought up another finger. Then, smiling, she reached out and poked him with the fingers, amused. "It's definitely lightning, no matter what you've confused yourself into thinking."

For awhile he didn't speak, wondering if this could possibly be true. But then, recollecting the fact that he was the _freaking spirit of winter,_ he stuck his tongue out at her and rolled his eyes. There was no way that he had been creating lightning. "Circumstantial evidence." Wild laughed.

Now that Jack had made the first strike, Bunny leaped into action, diving off the cage and plunging into the fray, his boomerangs out and ready. He threw one, taking out several Nightmares, while he used the other to beat the ones that tried to attack him into submission. Every one he landed a good blow on evaporated and didn't return, the black sand disappearing into thin air.

Seeing Bunny's affect on the battle, Jack smirked, preparing to fly down to, already angling his body so he could join the fight. Then, remembering something, he looked back at her, his smile faded but still there, baby blue hues bright. "Stay here, Wild. Don't get yourself into any danger, alright? Have some fun, instead!" Wild glared at him. Though she didn't yet understand the reference, she still didn't appreciate being undermined and excluded from the miniature war. "We'll take care of this." His pep talk to Mother Nature over, Jack turned away and plummeted toward the floor to fight.

Resentment boiling up within her, Wild turned her back on her friends, muttering curses in a suddenly very thick Scottish accent (so thick that what they were was not understandable). Then, to the Boogeyman, she whispered, "I have a plan, and I'll need your help, Pitch. But if anyone asks, it was your idea, ok? It's quite clever, so I'm sure you'll enjoy getting the credit for it." Smiling, she pressed her index finger to her lips in the national "shhh" gesture. "I want them to think I'm a goody-goody two-shoes a little while longer." The less suspicious of her going AWOL they were, the more she could get away with, and the more adventurous expeditions they would bring her along on.

The place lifted where his eyebrows should be and, spontaneously, Wild tried to imagine him with eyebrows. The mental image triggered a loud snort from the girl. Then, grinning, she looked at the lock. Her grin morphed into a pout. "..No time to search for a key.." Wild let out a soft hum of indecisiveness, considered the lock a moment longer, before smiling. Much like Jack had done before her, she concentrated very hard, her words dying out, and pushed her powers to the surface. First there were the lights around her fingertips, that then spread up her arms, and then the magic leaked into her electric green tattoos, which proceeded to glow. Then, opening one of her hands, she gave a mental shove, and a small vine began to manifest, rather lanky. It was tough, though; good lock-picking material. "I'll make a criminal out of me yet!" joked the ginger, bending in what appeared to be an uncomfortable fashion to jam the vine in there and twist and wiggle it, searching for the correct combination to break Pitch out. The tattoos ceased to glow once more. All of this, mind you, occurred in less than a minute—she's improved a lot since she'd first tried to use her powers to recreate Bunny's eggs!

Pitch Black watched her in fascination, never having seen anything quite like this before. That made sense, seeing how he'd only just met her, and no two people were the same. "How do your powers work exactly, ah..." He searched for her name, only pausing a moment. "..Wild," he added on triumphantly, recalling when she'd introduced herself earlier.

"Haven't the foggiest," came the lazy reply, the girl not even lifting her head. He frowned slightly, but it didn't last long. Though he didn't know her very well yet, Pitch was sure that this kid would _really_ start to grow on him. There was a click, and she let out a loud victory cry, throwing her hands happily in the air (almost losing her balance and falling off the side in the midst of it). Tugging the lock off and tossing it off the ledge of the cage, she shuffled over to make room, pulling the door open afterward. "Free at last, Pitch!" When he tried to move, but couldn't quite get his limbs to respond due to the aching and misuse of them, his body weak and weary and sick from seventy-eight years in that cage, Wild did some more shuffling (since the door opened her way, she was forced to circle the entire cage (a tedious procedure) in order to reach the opening again), and then went on to try to help him out, clambering in and draping his body over her. Getting back _out_ with both of them was the hard part. She had to crouch, and even doing _that_ caused his back to scrap the top, and he couldn't suppress the impulse to moan in agony. Then, once she'd gotten all of her out and most of him out, there was the trick of balancing on the ledge. A trick that proved to be a little _too_ tricky for her, for the entire thing tipped, dumping them both out. On instinct, her magic jolted from where it had been lying dormant, creating an earth bridge connecting the cage to the cliff they'd jumped off of to get to the cage in the first place. However, this also meant that she, along with a startlingly heavy Boogeyman on her back, smacked into the ground with a loud, painful sounding thump, likely breaking her nose in the process. She fell face first, after all, _and_ was carrying an older man! He, lucky duck, wasn't injured at all in the fall, and just laid on top of her slender body.

Completely overemphasizing the whole thing, Wild peeled herself out from under him, taking a minute to tilt back her head and pinch the bridge of her nose (which hurt also) to plug the nosebleed. Then, once that was mostly under control, she wiped the leftover blood on her arm, smearing it, careful of her crooked appendage. This done, she propped Pitch up, leaning him against her in order to help him sit upright. "Well! _That_ was exciting!"

He gave her a very dry look. "You could say that, you little weirdo." Instead of being insulted, like most people would be, Wild just beamed. Then he examined her nose, eyes narrowing. "..Your nose. I think you completely smashed it."

She shrugged. "It happens."

"No, it doesn't."

Unable to resist, Wild grinned, and watched with delight as he caught the Smiling Virus and smiled back, small though it was. "True. Either way, we need to skedaddle. Can you walk?"

"No."

"Awesome!" She replied, and he frowned, thinking she was being sarcastic with him. She wasn't. Her smile said it all. "I'll take care of you, then. I still need you to help me, though!"

Now Pitch was curious. "And what, may I ask, would I be helping you _with_?"

"Just a question. Are Nightmares real? As in...do they have cells, do they breathe, can they reproduce, are they _alive_?"

He shook his head. "..No. They are just evil manifestations of dreams. They don't breathe, or reproduce unless I will it to, or...or anything else you asked." As if he could remember that far back. Wild talked a lot, and he had forgotten what it was like to talk to somebody who would speak back.

"Oh." Wild frowned. "I was considering shrinking them down to babies, but I guess that won't work, then. Alright, never mind. I need a new plan." And she'd had that one _so_ well planned out, too! A little disheartened, she looked around as she slipped her head under his arm, holding it in place, and then slid her other arm around his waist and strapped him tightly to her. This done, she stood them both up, slowly but surely. "I suppose we'll just make it up as we go. Do you have _any_ power over these guys anymore?" Another shake of his head. Thoughtful, Wild chewed her lower lip, the wheels turning in her head. "..Ok. I have another plan, though. Not sure if it'll work. But...as Mother Nature, it _should_ be within my power to do this." Walking him across her makeshift bridge, she pulled him along awhile longer before stopping, looking up at the ceiling. So far she could only use her power on things she could touch. And if this plan were to have _any_ chance of working, she needed to touch the ceiling. Where was Jack when she needed him? Unwinding herself from Pitch, she sat him down again. He was already out of breath, and shot her a quizzical look, which she ignored. Wandering to the wall, she felt around at the permeable rock face, seeking out nooks and crannies—any sort of good handhold, really. Finding a few, she smiled slightly; this was working out well...so far.

Disproving all laws of gravity and how strong a little girl should be after picking a lock, carrying a full-grown man, and breaking her face, she reached up, placed her hands in the correct locations, and heaved herself up onto the perfectly vertical wall, finding notches for her feet. Pitch watched in both worry and awe. _This girl,_ he mused to himself semi-cheerfully, _is a total freak._ He wasn't wrong, either. With unbearable slowness, she hoisted herself up, fighting off her instinctive fear of falling and breaking herself further. It took several minutes to reach the ceiling, which was a couple hundred feet up, but either way, her hands were rubbed raw and bleeding, her two tufts of bangs stuck to her flushed face with perspiration. Reaching out to where the ceiling began to curve, she touched the rock, creating a vine with her magic. However, in letting go with one hand, she put all her body weight to a single arm and her legs, all of which were exhausted by now. With a gasp, she fell—but not before accomplishing her task and creating the plant, which she made so long that it fell and hit Pitch on the head (the ideal length would have been longer than he was, but she couldn't be picky when she was falling to her death). Wild's body arched back, out of control, but before her free fall could escalate to altogether more terrifying and life threatening situations, a pair of arms encircled her waist and she was suddenly hanging in mid air.

A warm, welcome voice spoke into her ear. "Hey, you ridiculous force of Nature," Jack grumbled good-naturedly, and she twisted around in his arms to hug him, burying her nose into the spot where his shoulder and neck met, so relieved she couldn't speak for several seconds. "What are you trying to do?"

But she still couldn't reply, so he just lowered her down to where she'd left Pitch, who was mumbling incoherent things and rubbing his head (his arm was getting the feeling back!). But his anger with the obnoxious teen ebbed away when he saw her, concerned. "Is she-?"

"She's fine." Maybe a bit to harsh, since he and Pitch were now allies. But Jack wasn't one to forgive and forget. Perhaps in time. But Jack didn't apologize, fussing over Wild again, and missed the ugly look that crossed Pitch's face.

Bunny sprang up to meet them, limping, sporting a few bruises (not that anyone but him knew; his fur covered all of him), somewhat winded. "There's a bloomin' lot of 'em, mates. Not sure how long we can take them all." The Nightmares, their opponents all much higher than any of them were, searched for the nearest bridges to begin their ascent. Then, seeing Wild, he plucked the girl from Jack's arms and wrapped her up in his furry ones. "What happened, love?" asked the suddenly very gentle rabbit, ignoring Jack's feisty glare.

Eventually getting her fear in check, she took a few deep breaths and looked up from Bunny's chest fur, a tiny smile crossing her face. Seeing her nose, Jack and Bunny both let out a hiss of revulsion; it must look pretty bad. But she didn't care about that. Her smile transformed into a huge-ass grin, and she replied, "Climbed a wall. Pretty fun stuff, rock climbing is, y'know? Anyway, I have an idea." As she spoke, she reluctantly moved away from Bunny, and then wandered to Pitch. Wild offered him a bright smile, which he returned, his earlier spark of hatred toward Jack temporarily forgotten, before taking the vine and wrapping it around his middle.

"I'm going to create an avalanche and bury the lot."


	9. The Wall Comes Tumbling Down

**( Just saying...they LITERALLY _cannot_ not make a RotG sequel. There is a _very_ large unanswered question! Although in my version, it is Gabriel who is responsible for Jack and Wild's missing memories, in the movie itself [which, sadly, doesn't belong to me] it does not address _why_ Jack was the _only_ one not to have his memories! They can't _not_ discuss that! So, there is really _no_ way a sequel is not occurring. It's inevitable. Also, thank you for all the favorites and reviews! This is becoming a _mighty_ successful first fanfic! Keep 'em coming, sugar boogers! )**

"C-cause an-! Cause an _avalanche_?" Bunny spluttered, looking over at Jack, who seemed just as traumatized. "...Can she do that?"

"Hell if I know!" Jack growled, not seeming happy about this idea. Not at all. He was glaring at Wild, as if it were her fault for being Mother Nature, and her initial smile slowly disappeared from her face as her shoulders began to sag. Obviously her idea wasn't a hit among any of them. Even Pitch looked troubled.

Brushing her short bangs out of her eyes, Wild scowled at the lot of them. "Guys! I'm Mother Freaking _Nature_! Of course I can do that! I'll just need to...y'know...figure it out." Her scowl melted into a warm smile, which, as always, disarmed the three gentlemen. "C'mon—I can do it. You guys can trust me. I will definitely not get hurt."

But that was the problem. Even after all this time, despite everything they'd been through together, though he felt them growing closer and closer all the time, he didn't trust her. There would always be that barrier separating them, barring the way for any sort of deep emotional connection. As long as Jack felt threatened by Wild and pushed her aside, they could never trust each other.

So he just turned his head aside, a shadow cast across his face, not wanting her to see his expression. He hid from her. "...How can you promise something like that?" He asked quietly.

Then Wild did something unexpected. She took a step closer, her green and gold flecked eyes gazing into his with such tenderness he was taken aback, and held out a hand. Jack blinked. His eyes slid down to her hand, where she stood there, pink outstretched. "We'll pinky swear on it," she said solemnly.

He laughed. She glared. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly serious!" Wild insisted, affronted. "If you break a pinky swear, you die and go to hell, y'know!"

He lifted an eyebrow at her, amused, forgetting what he was feeling for the moment as she (like every time) made him want to laugh. "No, I didn't know that. But-" He moved his hand and linked his pinky with her's, and felt his heart leap as her smile brightened considerably. "-I'll hold you to it. Don't die."

Ears straightening, Bunny brought himself to his full height. "You can't be serious!" He exclaimed, stricken. "She'll get herself killed!"

"Better than us all dying," Wild muttered, having already turned away from the two now bickering individuals. She was squatting in front of Pitch, whose eery eyes flashed up to meet hers, dart away, and then return. He wasn't used to this whole "friendship" situation. It could take some time. But Wild was determined to get through to him. Taking the vine in her hands, she began to tie it around the Boogeyman's middle, careful not to do it too tight or too loose. "When the arena starts crumbling-" Wild began to explain, her voice low, a monotone—very different than her usual speech patterns. "-you'll be on your own. I'll help as much as I can, but overall, you'll just need to find a way to propel yourself to one of the exits with Jack and Bunny, ok? Since you can't walk, this vine'll keep you up and moving, so that won't be too much of a problem, I'm sure." He stared at her. "You can do any and all things, Pitch Black. I believe in you, remember." Now her voice was warm, like it always was, and lilted cheerfully. "Don't prove me wrong, or I'll never live it down, y'hear?"

He stared awhile longer, before scoffing, gaze dropping. "Silly girl. As if I'd prove you wrong. I am the Boogeyman!"

Wild grinned. "Exactly." Done with her pep talk, and giving the vine one final tug to ensure she'd done her job, she sat down, crisscrossing her legs. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe ou-

"What is she doing?"

"Meditating, I think."

"Actually, I think she is going to sleep. Crikey!"

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Go suck an egg, rabbit."

"Why, you-!"

"You two. Cool it."

"Haha. Very funny."

"...? What's so funny about that, Black?"

"..."

"..."

"You're cold."

"I am cold."

"And you said 'cool it'. You're cold. It's...funny."

"..."

"..."

"...I don't get it, mate."

"Yeah, me neither."

"You Guardians...are all simpletons."

Her eyes snapped open. "You guys," she growled, "_shut it_!" They shut it, and she closed her eyes, paying attention to her breathing again. In. Out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Feeling her energy spread across her body, she allowed herself a small smile; it was beginning to progress faster than it ever had before. That was a good sign. A _very_ good sign, in fact. Her fingers felt warm, and then her arms, and she could imagine the green magic flushing up her skin, trickling into her grapevine markings. Eventually, she figured that it would be a good time to work her powers and create an avalanche. Her doe-like orbs opened once more, and she looked around, purposely ignoring the others (who wore expressions of shock, awe, and interest), and instead looked at the ground. Stubborn. Unyielding. Solid, hard to move, slow to change. She understood the properties of rock. She'd been in science in school (or she assumed so, since she knew so much about it). So, confident in her abilities, she touched her hands to the ground. Then, breathing deeply, she pushed down. As predicted, the ground did not yield. Inhale. Exhale. She lifted up her hands, and-!

-the ground did not come with her.

Her eyes widened. And then they narrowed, irritation flooding through her. After a beat in which she merely calmed her nerves, Wild tried it again, shoving more and more energy through the channel and into her tattoos. Push down. Nothing. Drag up. Nothing. A few more tries later, Wild looked up at the others, expression sheepish.

"...Eh heh~ Or maybe not~"

The other three rolled their eyes. Meanwhile, cheeks dusted pink, Wild picked herself up off the ground, feeling like a disappointment. Perhaps that was too advanced of a move for a few-day-old Guardian. Not to mention, as Guardian, she was only strong if people believed in her. Which nobody did. That always complicated things. It could be that, until she got some believers, her full strength would never be accessible to her. She would need to lean on the others for support for a very long time. The thought wasn't a pleasant one; that would certainly strip her of her dignity. Wild clenched her teeth, rejecting that idea with all her might. She _would_ get stronger!

And, with that thought, the Nightmares reached them.

Jack gripped his staff tightly, and Bunny unsheathed his boomerangs again. The battle continued. Protectively Wild moved in front of Pitch, who would still be too weak to help himself. A Nightmare slipped past Bunny and Jack's defenses, and she aimed a clumsy (but surprisingly powerful) uppercut to its face. With a whinny, it disappeared, and Wild watched with pride. Although the two Guardians had the upper hand, it was blatantly obvious that this wouldn't last long. They were outnumbered, and Jack and Bunny were growing weary. They definitely didn't have much time.

So she made what was soon to be the most idiotic decision of her life.

The girl took off sprinting, arms pumping at her sides, and launched herself into the chest of a Nightmare, pulling it off the cliff with her with a battle cry. Startled by the noise, several Nightmares looked their way, only to get taken out by the Guardian duo once their backs were turned. Most of them, however, escaped Bunny and Jack, and leaped after Wild, drawn to the noisy teenager, who had then proceeded to holler on way down.

Mouth agape, Jack looked over at Bunny and Pitch, who shared expressions of disbelief. "Pitch, was that your idea?" He asked, stunned.

"No. She punched a Nightmare, and then jumped off a cliff," the Brit replied, eyes huge.

With a groan of frustration, Jack smacked himself in the head with his hand, rolled his eyes dramatically, and then dashed for the cliff edge. "Stupid, _stupid_-!" snarled Jack, jumping off. But then the Nightmares that _hadn't_ jumped off cut him off, and he gasped, halting. He then dodged a hove to the face, dancing backward in the air and out of reach. "_Wild_!"

From the corner of his eye, Jack saw Bunny fighting like he'd never fought before. In his delusional rabbit mind, he was in love with Wild, and had to fight to save the damsel in distress. However, that made him reckless, impulsive. Jack watched as Nightmares took advantage of Bunny's berserker rage, getting in nasty slashes at his exposed flank. Red stained his fur, but still the Easter Bunny fought on, not allowing himself to be set aside. He would save Wild! He would!

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Wild was _not_ dead, _or_ in danger, _or_ in need of rescuing. Every time her Nightmare would reach the ground (not having dodged because it was trying to kill _her,_ too), she would push herself off it, reach up, and cling to the next Nightmare. Already, a little less than half of her trusted followers were gone, and she had only a few scratches and bruises to show for it (due to well-aimed hooves). Honestly speaking, she was very proud of herself at the moment. Even if she couldn't create an avalanche, a show of quick wits and intellect would do the trick!

Her current Nightmare attempted to buck her off, flying toward a cage to smack her against it, but she rolled her body. Hitting the edge of the cage, it popped, sending her dropping. This part wasn't as much fun. Several Nightmares attacked her falling form simultaneously, and she angled her body, stretching out her arms. The fasted one slammed into her, and it took all of her power not to let go by the sheer force of it, clinging to the sandy mane. Winded, and wary that her ribs may have been badly bruised in that attack, she dragged herself out of the way from the gnashing jaws of the Nightmare and onto its back, coughing harshly. Ow. That one had hurt a lot.

After awhile she could sit up. The Nightmare was running in circles, not sure how to get rid of her. It was while this was happening that the Nightmare flew up, above the ledge where Bunny, Jack, and Pitch were. Her breathing faltered, heartbeat a thunderous roar in her mind, eyes widening to an almost comical size.

Bunny attacking—side wide open—hooves slashing through the skin—blood, blood _everywhere_-!

This was, without doubt, the most idiotic thing she'd ever done. First, stark terror and grief brought tears to her eyes, blinding her. Then came the fury.

"No."

One, single word, uttered under her breath. Then all hell was set loose. Green energy, darker than her original electric green color, crackled across her hands much like Jack's "lightning" ice. Her tattoos were lit up in a matter of seconds, and the Nightmare exploded beneath her. But that didn't make a difference. With the grace her usual self didn't contain, the redhead landed in a cat-like stance on the ledge where Bunny had fallen and Jack, with a roar of defiance, was attacking the others with renewed outrage. Pitch, having nothing better to do, saw the ethereal creature stand up to her full height, energy consuming her entire body, eyes ablaze, and goggled at her. Wild didn't move from where she was; instead, she crouched down, and touched the ground with her hands as if in a trance. Then she pushed down, and dragged up...and the ground shattered beneath their feet.

The entire cavern's floor rippled, splitting and crumbling, as her magic sent waves of sheer force through it. Nightmares were sliced open and dealt with easily, her only blow killing off more of them than Jack and Bunny had combined. Wild looked around uncomprehendingly. Slowly, however, she walked over to Bunny and lifted him as if he weighed nothing. His injuries were illuminated, eyes half-closed in pain, breathing shallow. But he was alive. He. Was. _Alive._ Her magic engulfed him until he was glowing too, and only then, now that her magic was more spread out and no longer overwhelming her own body, she was brought back to the present.

Rocks fell around them, and Wild inhaled quickly, startled. Holding Bunny closer to her chest on impulse, she yelled, "Jack! Please bring Pitch!" Jack, who had finally noticed her and was gazing upon her in bafflement, started into action. Racing to his ex-enemy, he pushed the man into action, tugging him off the ledge. The vine went flying, yanking a bellowing Pitch with it, as he tried to dodge tumbling debris. Jack flew to Wild, avoiding the shaken earth clumps, and reached out for her. Still holding Bunny tightly in one arm, she lifted a hand, and his own clamped around her forearm. They were snatched off the crumpling cliff side with him.

But _goodness_! Were they _heavy_! At first Jack drooped, unable to support their weight, and Wild let out a squeak of fear. Then, as he slowly pulled them up to a normal height, Wild mumbled breathlessly, "I hate you. I hope you're not implying that I am fat, Ice Prince."

Jack smiled despite the situation. "'Ice Prince'?" echoed the Guardian, looking down at her. Wild nodded, headstrong as ever. But, unable to stay mad, she soon smiled back. Then they (albeit slowly) made their way to where Pitch was swinging, holding on to the vine for dear life. At some point they came to a point in which Pitch could reach out and snag a hand onto Bunny's foot, tethering the four of them together. At this point, Jack managed to get them to one of the exits. He was not, however, able to avert all of the falling rocks. Bleeding and bruised, Jack collapsed them into the tunnel, body trembling with little muscle spasms, body complaining for all the excess weight. Wild stood up, the only one able to do much of anything, though she refused to release Bunny's limp body (he'd fallen completely unconscious at some point). Still glowing a dark evergreen shade, she staggered to the large circular door, threw herself forward clumsily, and used her shoulder and all the strength left in her body to shut it, Pitch's only home left behind them to fall into ruins. They were safe now—they'd need to be, anyway. None of them had the strength to go on.

Bunny fell from her grip; his waist down had been dragging on the ground initially, so it wasn't a far fall. But she still let out a soft whimper of distress, unable to believe she was so weak that she'd dropped him. Wild tried to bend over, but her shoulder was aching from hitting the door, and her body refused to respond any more. The green coloring died, light going away, along with whatever energy it had brought her. Drained, her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped forward, smacking her face on the door (which couldn't be good for her already broken nose), legs giving out. The others were already out; gratefully, she joined them.


	10. Promises

**( Now _this_ is where things start getting interesting. Again, thank you to everybody who has commented thus far! It really means a lot to it! Keep sending me feedback so my ego doesn't make my head implode! :] I totally love you guys. )**

Inhale. Cough, cough. Blurry figures. Exhale. Cough. Wheezy breath. Slightly less blurry figures. Shift. Rustle, rustle.

She blinked.

Watching her blonde eyelashes fluttering, her petite body stirring in the blankets, an unmistakeable voice let out a relieved chuckle and then spoke loudly. Perhaps too loudly, considering she was just waking up. "She's awake! She's up!" An Australian accent burst out, the person it belonged to hovering even more over her.

"She has awoken?" A booming Russian asked, shifting into view to stand beside the Australian. "That is good, no?"

Jade orbs gazed up at them, misted over some from being sealed shut for so long, and blinked away their tiredness. Her voice was somewhat gravelly when she finally spoke. "..North. .._Bunny_." She sounded happier when she spoke of the Easter Bunny, her tension easing away. "You're ok..!"

"Of course I am, Wild," he told her gently, green eyes softening, reaching out a paw to fasten around her hand. She squeezed it reassuringly. He was alright. She was back. Everything was ok.

"And the others..?" asked Mother Nature, fidgeting. Her right arm was sore, probably badly bruised. There were constricting bandages around her abdomen and up to her chest, binding her ribcage (she assumed that she'd cracked a few ribs getting rammed by that Nightmare), and she moved her free hand to touch her nose, which had a stripe of binding across it as well, settling the broken bone in place. But it felt like the swelling had gone down. That was good. However, she was _starving—_how long had she been out? Her body was being completely unresponsive to stimuli!

"All fine," North interrupted, grinning, his unnaturally bright blue eyes sparkling. Those silly songs about "Santa Claus" weren't very far off—his eyes twinkled more than anybody's she'd ever seen. Wild relaxed. "Jack is off with Sandy—his pacing got us all on edge, so Sandy volunteered to take him off on his nightly rounds. Everyone is well."

Wild's eyes closed. Perhaps for a moment too long. Then they opened, still seeming weary. "A-and how are your injuries, Bunny?"

He looked confused. "Injuries? Haven't got any, mate!"

Puzzlement flashed over her features. "Haven't got any injuries? B-but I was sure of it!" The rasping had left her voice now, leaving it lucid once more. "That's why I...got so mad...powers went haywire..." She tried to sit up to get a better look at Bunny, and North leaned over to help prop her up. Not even bothering to express him the gratitude she surely felt in her haste, she stared at Bunny's completely unmarred fur. Wild frowned. Without asking permission, she located the place on his body where he'd earlier been injured and combed through the soft fur, searching for a scar. But there was none. Bunny, however, looked embarrassed. Apparently "grooming" was a rabbit trait among mates or something, Wild assumed, though she hadn't time to mull over that now. She was too busy being confused. "But...but don't you remember getting hurt?"

Bunny shrugged. "Kind of. Vaguely. Not enough to be able to tell you about it, though. I remember you carrying me." He told her softly, voice warm. "You were glowing an awful lot, mate."

North nodded. "It appears that you have some healing qualities, Wild," he declared, beaming triumphantly down at her as if _he_ was the one with the newly discovered talents. "You fixed Bunny! Now you just need to discover how you did it!" Easier said than done.

Although she didn't know why or how, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Cheeks coloring, Wild sniffed loudly, lifting an aching arm to wipe at her cheeks as her eyes spilled over. As most men did, North and Bunny panicked; they didn't know how to deal with crying women. "Crikey, Wild! What're you crying for?"

Sniffle, sniffle. Hiccup. "I-I don't k-know! I'm just...so happy!" the girl cried out, warding them off with flailing arms, before returning to hide her eyes and stifle her emotions. Then she took a deep breath. "Get your shit together, tear ducts," she whispered fiercely. When she had looked up once more, Bunny and North were gazing fondly at her. Wild grinned, eyes arching, before she peered around thoughtfully. Jack's absence had been explained. Now..."How did you find us?" Wild asked, giving North a curious look.

The large, white-haired man stroked his beard, blue eyes still a-twinkle. "Ah. Yes. Toothy came here around the same time Jack went to tell you and Bunny about the Pitch and Gabriel issue." Wild's eyebrows lifted elegantly; Bunny inwardly winced. Wild had yet to hear of the "Gabriel issue". Hopefully she would know better than to ask questions about it. As if. "So, when we got no word from you after that, and found that none of you were in Bunny's Warren when we went to check, we...how do I say it? Connected the dots!" He grinned broadly at her. "Then we brought you back to my workshop!"

That made sense. Wild nodded, before looking over their shoulders, searching for something. After awhile, she frowned; bewildered, they glanced over their shoulders as well, attempting to pinpoint what she was looking at. No such luck. "Where..." She began, voice singsong-y, "is Pitch Black?" Worriedly, they exchanged a glance, but said nothing. Their reactions caused her to get a bad feeling. Like a stab through the heart, she felt her body turning to stone, rejecting whatever form of explanation they had been about to feed her. They did something to him. Something unspeakable. She knew they did. Nature is everything. It knows all, sees all. Wood from trees made the floor in which they walked on, the bed in which she laid on. The animals and people were part of nature, and she could feel it in their hearts, the very cores of Bunny and North, and the Yeti and Elves...she knew they'd done something. They had deceived her. Although she didn't quite know how she was doing it yet, she didn't doubt this jolt of intuition, because it was real. She knew it was. "_How could you?_" the Guardian seethed, ripping her hand free of Bunny's paw, fists clenching.

From outside North's fortress, a roar of thunder could be heard. Lightning flashed, illuminating them all, and Wild stood up abruptly, already beginning to turn that dark green that she'd become while in Pitch's caves. Grey clouds gathered, and it began to pour, a ferocious storm occurring alongside Wild's temper tantrum. She would really need to learn to control these things. "What did you do with Pitch? Where have you put him? You better not have hurt him! What have you done with him?" Wild demanded, ponytail beginning to float around her head like a flaming halo, green eyes ablaze with cold fire. With her tattered clothing and heavily bandaged body, she looked more like an insane asylum escapee than an angry Guardian woman. It was terrifying, to say the least.

"Wild?" Her gaze snapped up, unforgiving. There, in the doorway, was Sandy and Jack, looking shocked. At least, Sandy looked shocked—Jack seemed joyous, though confusion was slowly taking place of that beautiful emotion. Green electricity crackled on her skin, marking already aglow, staring at him silently. He flew toward her, throwing cautiousness out the window, and pulled her into a hug. Luckily for him, she wasn't in a wreck-everything-and-be-merciless-about-it kind of mood like she had been a few days ago, because he was not injured upon touching her. Her body trembled with barely contained fury. Outside, it continued to storm. "Hey Wild...what happened?"

"Pitch." That was all that needed to be say. Livid, she sat there, not hugging him back, not pushing him away, body shaking like a leaf. Her voice was thick with emotion. This was obviously quite a blow to her view on these guys—did she really want to be a Guardian if they did things like this?

Jack understood at once. Holding her at an arms length, he tried to catch her gaze, but she was staring at the ground, eyes shining with what looked suspiciously like tears. He smiled at her. "Oh, ok. I see. Want to go see him now?" Her eyes were on his in a flash, stretched wide. "You've gotta understand, Wild—he tried to kill us all at some point, and for some time, he _had_ killed Sandy. He tried to hurt the children, and take over the world, and make sure nobody would ever know us to be real again. You can't entirely blame us for not trusting him," he murmured to her, urging her to empathize.

Her eyes, still a little too glassy, narrowed slightly. "..I do understand that. I just..." The green lights faded, and the storming eased off to a benevolent drizzle. "...I don't see why you can't believe in him now. When I last saw him, he couldn't even walk on his own. He couldn't have hurt you at all. At least until he proved himself...couldn't you have shown him a little kindness?" She stared into his blue hues searchingly.

He quailed under her stare. She had a point—Pitch Black had been harmless, and was now even more so. She was right that he had posed them no threat. Jack winced. "...I..." But what could he say to that?

After a moment, her face fell, and she stepped out from contact with him. Disappointment filled her features. He had let her down. And he didn't know how to fix that. "Will you take me to him, Jack?" She'd used to make his voice sound wonderful, stressing every letter, speaking it in such a warm voice. Now it fell flat. Just a question. Nothing more, no implications.

Jack looked at her sadly. Then he nodded, turning around and flying toward the door. She practically dragged her feet behind him, staring straight ahead, looking past all of them. They had failed her. They had stooped to a low, one that they would never be able to live up. She couldn't even _look_ at them without feeling repulsed.

It took some time to get to the room they'd locked Pitch in. It was dark, and cold, and the air was musky there. Perhaps for awhile living there would be alright, but after the first hour one would easily become claustrophobic, and tired, and antsy. Wild couldn't even imagine. After all, it was the size of a closet at the most! Jack opened it slowly, and Wild practically dived in. Pitch, who had been sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, seeming dazed, blinked rapidly as the light flooded in upon him and he suddenly had all one hundred and five pounds of Wild latched onto him, sniffling into his shoulder, hugging him so tightly that his ribs cracked. At first, he scooted back, attempting to get away from the dark person he could barely see after having been held captive here for so long. But then he realized she was crying, and hugging him as opposed to hurting him, and relaxed slightly, a little starstruck. He looked up, saw Jack standing in the doorway, expression a mixture of sorrow and anger. Pitch couldn't resist feeling smug.

"P-Pitch..." Ah. It was Wild. No wonder...he should have recognized her scent of wildflowers and ocean breeze. Actually, he probably could have guessed it the moment she _didn't_ injure him, or say something cruel. Pitch, never having been hugged before, just let his hands lay by his side, not really knowing what to do with them. What does one do when being hugged? How are they meant to react? A little shyly, he leaned his head into hers. She didn't move away. Relaxing a little bit more, the male sat there, staring at Jack's feet (no reason, he was just lost in thought). "I-I'm sorry I left you for so long. It definitely won't happen again. I'll have you fixed up as good as new soon, I promise I will. I really will! And I'll h-help you walk again, and do things on your own. You'll stay with me forever, ok? Alright? It'll be fun! Nobody will lock you up anywhere ever again, and if anything _is_ done to you, they'll have _me_ to deal with! So don't w-worry!" the female sobbed into his shirt, clutching the fabric so hard her knuckles turned white.

Pitch's gaze snapped to the redhead, staring at her. _For him?_ He wondered, speechless. _How can she sit there, and say those types of things to me?_ "I...I will definitely..." Wild cried onward, not realizing that he harbored no grudge yet. "...rise to the challenge!"

"..Ok."

Wild shut up then, eyes widening a fraction.

After a moment, he spoke again. "I believe you." His voice was soft...perhaps not tender, but it stirred something within her. It was the voice that an adult would use on their child, she decided. Quiet, reassuring, earnest. Slowly she lifted her tear stained face to look at him. There was a smile lurked on his lips, any his eyes had arced slightly. Wild gawked at him awhile longer. Then she laughed loudly, a surprised, happy sound, and smiled brightly.

Everything was going to be ok. It definitely would be. She was going to fix things.

She was going to fix _him._

She'd promised.


	11. Only a Replacement

**( Surprisingly, that last chapter was rather well-received. And it also seems that a new shipping couple as been identified. ^_^; Also—thus far, only a few people have submitted guesses as to what Wild's center is, and nobody has been correct yet. Though it's fairly obvious, actually, if you think about it! ..Or rather, if you don't think about it. I didn't want to make it _too_ easy... =w=b Anyway, keep those comments and critiques coming! I WELCOME THEM WITH OPEN ARMS! )**

"Ouch!" _It's odd_, Wild mused grumpily to herself, wincing slightly, _that even when making exclamations of annoyance and pure agony, he _still_ sounds British._

"S-sorry..." muttered the redhead, expression so focused it was almost laughable as she tried again after many unsuccessful attempts to reawaken her healing powers. Green energy embraced her skin warmly, hugging tightly to her body, and she reached over to touch Pitch's head again, aiming to heal his old injury and clean away the hint of infection that was beginning to occur there. Again, however, she used too much and too fast, and he was bowled over onto the ground by the sheer force.

"_Argh!_"

"Sorry, Pitch!" cried Wild, wincing again sympathetically, feeling every blow to him as if it were her own body being damaged. "I-I won't give up! You can count on me!" She offered him a wild grin, chipper to a fault. "Can't be far off now...!" For the umpteenth time she touched him, and he flew back again as her abundancy of power knocked him over. Irritated beyond belief at this point, Wild threw her hands in the air, put out. "_Why isn't it working?_"

Sandy, whose turn it was to supervise them, smiled ruefully, a golden question mark of sand popping up over his head. After much finagling and canoodling, the Guardians had agreed that she could move out on her own, with Pitch in tow, as long as they had a bodyguard 24/7 to make sure Pitch didn't do anything stupid. Although Wild assured them that no such thing would happen, she accepted the terms—after all, it was better than them being separated. He needed her! And she...well...she needed to feel needed, she supposed. Didn't everybody? If nobody cared about you, did you even exist? She had to look out for him. Nobody deserved to be alone.

Tucking these thoughts away, she rolled her eyes. "Oi. Thanks a bunch, Beach Boy." Beaches had sand. Sandy was male. Hence: Beach Boy. Not her most clever nickname, but who cared? As long as he had one! _He is completely useless_, she thought, unable to repress a smile. _He hasn't given me a piece of advice yet!_ No matter how she looked at it, the Sandman was completely and utterly adorable...despite his inability to facilitate in Plan Restore-Wild-To-Her-Original-Healing-Prowess.

Sitting himself up, Pitch scowled, rubbing the back of his neck. They'd been at this all day, and he was weary of it by now. "Can't we do something else and get back to this later?" He asked, grumpily. Wild had taken them out of North's fortress the moment she'd healed up completely (completely meaning that her arm only ached, her nose didn't bleed for no reason whenever it felt like, and her ribs were just a mass of black and blue bruises as opposed to being misplaced—in other words, _nobody_ else would consider her condition "healed up"), which, thankfully, was about three days afterward. Which meant Wild had officially been a Guardian for over a week.

He should have guessed her answer to that, though. Her expression said it all, and he sagged like a wilting flower. "No way! That simply cannot be! I _need_ to get this under control!" Wild stood up and paced the small forest clearing she'd discovered. She was fond of this forest; however, whether or not she'd create her base here was yet to be determined. Much like Jack Frost, she hated the idea of being tied down; she'd entertained the idea of traveling the world and being a nomad of sorts. But she figured Pitch might want to settle down somewhere, so she decided that idea probably wouldn't work so well.

They were all quiet for awhile. Then Sandy floated over to stand beside him, his warm caramel eyes sparkling. Above his head popped up a single circle. Then a circle within that circle. Then another circle. And arrow pointed to the circle in the center. Wild stared at it uncomprehendingly, before she lit up in understanding. "Oh! My center?" Sandy smiled and nodded. A question mark replaced the circles. "..What _is_ my center?" She guessed, and he nodded again, delighted that she understood his message. Wild pursed her lips. She'd been so caught up in life as a whole that she hadn't even thought about discovering it. Recalling the day she'd met Jack, Wild recounted the story of how _he'd_ come to discover his center. Fun. The Guardian of Fun. What could _she_ be? Everything a child needed to be was already taken by the other Guardians, wasn't it? What on earth could the Man in the Moon think _she_ could bring to the table?

Her face must have conveyed her message, for Sandy's smile faltered, and he shrugged. Patting her shoulder comfortingly, he turned to look at Pitch. Then he gave her a nudge, motioning for her to try again with the Boogeyman. Wild grinned a little before inclining her head in acceptance. She stood, folding one arm under her bosom while the other propped up her chin, rubbing it in the traditional "thinking" pose.

"..So. I've discovered that I _can_ create avalanches and whatnot. Earthquakes. Whatever you wanna call it," the Scot voiced her thoughts, muttering to herself while the two men watched her, curious. "I've also discovered that I can heal. However, both of these things were done when I was in a state of berserker rage...uh, maybe a battle fury. So, perhaps, I can only do those types of severe things when I am emotionally unstable?" Wild guessed, green eyes looking at the two.

Pitch gave her a look. Then, slowly, he nodded. "It's possible. But how do you plan to do that?"

Wild shrugged. "Not sure. Something infuriating will have to happen, anyway. So...somebody will have to make something earth-shattering happen to me." She looked between the two males critically. "Which one of you can be the most obnoxious?" They both pointed at each other at once, and Wild laughed, shaking her head. Sandy frowned—but the frown was short-lived. He suddenly brightened, pointing his index finger into the air as an idea came to him. The Sandman pointed to Wild and Pitch, then pointed to the ground. _Stay here_. With that, he hopped into the air and flew away, probably to go retrieve something. Watching him, Wild sighed pitifully. "I wish I could fly," she muttered, before moving to go sit beside Pitch, who became a little flustered automatically. Wild laughed at his reaction, smiling to herself, before she rested her head on his shoulder. After a moment of internal panic, he held still, letting her.

* * *

A half hour later, Sandy returned, smiling like the sun. Wild, at some point in time while waiting for him to return, had fallen asleep against Pitch. He, who had just gotten used to the idea of having a female companion laying on him, was twice as embarrassed when Sandy had returned with his idea. And his "idea" was a _highly_ unwelcome sight for Pitch Black.

Feeling Pitch's skin heat, Wild's eyelashes fluttered, and she yawned, opening one eye. Then the other snapped up to join it. "_You brought _Jack?!" This was a _stupid, stupid _idea.

Jack flicked his hood up over his head, seeming rather peeved by Wild's reaction. "Yes, he brought _me_. You don't need to sound so annoyed about it," he told her crossly. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done, but Wild was angry with him again. And apparently, whatever Sandy had brought him here to do (Sandy had tried to explain it, but his sand-figures were ineffective), Wild wasn't happy about _that_, either. He was already beginning to regret accepting Sandy's proposal.

Scrambling to her feet, she pointed accusingly at Sandy. "This was your big idea? To make _Jack_ get me mad? Why d'you think _he_ can do any better than you or Pitch?" Wild asked, pink beginning to dust her cheeks and nose. What was the Sandman implying? That she got more emotional around Jack than other people? That he would find it easier to break her? Either way, she was offended, and...worried. But why was she worried? Wild couldn't begin to fathom it.

Light blue eyes narrowed, and Jack flexed and loosened his fingers around his staff, trying to reach the amount of intellect that these three were at. It took a little while, but soon it hit him. "..You guys think that getting Wild angry will awaken her powers," he stated simply. Jack mulled this over, a hand on his chin, looking down at Wild, who looked mortified and defiant all at once. He looked down at her, his gaze not softening for once. "Well, that's fine. I have loads of things I've been meaning to say to her, anyway. Now I have an excuse to say them." What was he doing? What was he _thinking_? "I don't really trust you, Wild. I know that as soon as we turn our backs on you, you'll stab them. Why else would you and Pitch get along so well? You're plotting. Manny is obviously losing it—or maybe he just doesn't know, and had a different motive: to replace me. I think that's why you're here—to take over my spot in the Guardians. Now that Pitch isn't an issue, I'm not really needed here. Honestly, I'm just weakening the others, since nobody but Tabitha believes in me anymore, anyway." Her name made his heartstrings twinge, but still he plunged on. Why was he saying these things? Why _now_? This was cruel, this was _mean_..."Manny probably figured that you could replace me. After all, why have a winter sprite who can make kids laugh when you could have somebody in control of _all_ the elements who can make kids laugh tenfold? Nobody needs me. And it's all your fault. I hate you, Wild, I hate you for what you've done to me." Why, _why_ did he _SAY_ that to her?! He just...couldn't keep himself from talking. This isn't the way he'd wanted to break it to her at all, not at all...!

Throughout his tangent, Wild had just stood there, green eyes wide and suspiciously bright. Then she clenched her hands, a dark look etched across her face, scowling. "You...you _really_ think that, Jack? That I would betray the Guardians? That I would betray _you_?" She spat out the last word, as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "You don't know me at all, then!" This stated, her markings came alive, totally skipping the fingertips to hands to tattoos process it usually took, and her eyes flashed. Just like a few days ago in Pitch's lair, her hair began to float. "How could you, Jack? After all of this, how could you believe that I'd even _consider_ doing _anything_ to you?" There was a hitch in her voice, and she shut up, trembling with unconcealed pain.

Jack watched her, his expression (hopefully) impassive. Seeing his cold expression, Wild let out a shout of rage and spun around, facing Pitch. Jack definitely was _not_ worth her time. Why would he think _she_ was going to turn traitor, when the Guardians had _literally_ turned their back on her only days before? Hypocrites, _all_ of them! So she focused her attentions on Pitch Black, who seemed _very_ concerned. Whether it be for his own life or her, she couldn't tell, nor did she care much. He hadn't hurt her. They all had. _I wish I'd never agreed to be a Guardian._

Reaching down, she placed her hands on his cheeks, steadying him. Only he could see the tears in her glowing eyes that slipped down her cheeks. But he was too worried to brush them away, though he wanted to; this girl didn't deserve to cry. Not at all. Then he sucked in a breath—her magic was _warm_. Warm and loving, like the sunlight, like _her_; his body felt fluid and floaty, relaxing all of his tension, and he felt his injuries being repaired. And it felt _good_. The seventy-eight years of starvation, sleep deprivation, and blood loss was reversed. In fact, he'd never felt better! Even after the healing process was done, she didn't remove her hands. She just sat there and cried silently, cried for nobody but him to see, her tattoos sparking what looked like electricity. Why didn't she turn it off? What was she thinking? Was she crying for him, or for her? Or, rather, for _Jack_? Not sure what to make of this situation, Pitch held his tongue and watched her, his golden-silver eyes stretched wide. Wild crumpled to the ground and lurched forward, too upset to even hold herself up anymore, leaning her forehead against his.

"Wild!" It was Jack again, his normally happy voice sounding distressed. She didn't even open her eyes, which she'd unwittingly closed to fight back the tears. "Hey!" _I deserve this treatment._ "Wild!" _Why did I say those things?_ "You can stop." _I should have just kept them to myself._ "I didn't mean it." _Oh, but I did._ "You should know that!" _You're so gullible, you probably _would_ believe that I didn't mean it._ "I'd never say anything like that!" _I meant every word. _"I only said them to get you mad—they weren't what I really feel, I promise." _Empty promises._ "I don't mean any of those things."

Yes, yes he did.

Her eyes opened a little, and Pitch watched them fill with a sudden resolve. He had to hand it to her—for a girl, she was tough. Wild took a deep breath, steeling her nerve, and looked back at Jack. Did she believe him? _Pitch_ didn't, that was for sure. He didn't like Jack, the person whom he had once identified so much with. Now he didn't know the kid anymore. Although he'd never admit it, Pitch _really_ hoped that Wild would reject his apology (halfhearted and fake though it was), quit the Guardians, and just stay with him. She could do so much better than them, and better than him, too. Wild was far too innocent to live in a world like this one.

"..I believe you." Why? _Why_? Pitch couldn't believe his ears. "Though, Jack...you're a _real_ asshole. I bet that if you had lived out your full life, you'd've been an actor." Her voice was soft—and that was probably more frightening that it ever would have been if she'd shouted at him. "You're a very talented liar."

Watching her, his shoulders slumped. _Yeah. I know I am._ "Thank you, Wild!" He told her, grinning instead, eyes arching. He'd never realized how difficult it was to plaster a fake smile on his face.

Wild stood up and offered Pitch a hand, which he took after a moment in which he got a hold on his emotions (he still resented Jack for earning Wild's forgiveness so easily). Then Wild smiled at Pitch, which made an odd warmth spread through him (not so unlike her powers), taking both of his hands in both of hers. "C'mon—take a step." Up until this point, Pitch had been unable to walk on his own. Now, after giving her a nervous look, he hesitantly shifted his leg. His body didn't shake. An expression borderline awe crossed his face, and he moved his other leg, this time lifting his foot off the ground. Still he didn't fall, didn't quiver. Another step. Then another. Pitch practically beamed down at Wild, who was grinning herself. She only ever smiled at him that way nowadays. And he figured that fact would continue to hold true, especially after this. "Every day you'll be able to walk with longer steps now, and you can keep up your strength. You can walk on your own now." Wild released his hands and stepped back, watching him with pride. "Knew you could do it, Pitch!"

"...T-" He broke off, a lump suddenly forming in his throat. Under Jack's watchful eye, he stared at the ground, shuffling his feet. "..Thank you, Wild," he whispered, voice thick with emotion. "I just...thank you." The Boogeyman felt Jack's stare, felt the hostility, but that didn't matter to him at the moment. Everything was _glowing_, and he was so happy, happier than he could ever remember being. And it was all thanks to this midget-woman before him.

But she just laughed, shaking her head at him, waving off his thanks. "Shuddup. What're friends for, y'know?" Wild asked, smiling pleasantly at him. "Now, c'mon—we've got work to do." Again she took one of his hands and pulled him. Then she paused, looking over at Sandy and Jack; Sandy looked sad, and Jack unhappy. "You two can come too, if you must," Wild said dismissively, sending a dagger through Jack's heart.

He inwardly winced. "Where are we going?" asked the Guardian of Fun, ignoring how much her words hurt.

"We're going to find Tabitha. For sure this time. And we're gonna make her tell _everyone_ she knows about you until the whole world things she's gone completely _crazy_." Her eyes darkened with pain, and she looked away from him, not caring to see his reaction to her plan. "You said it before—she is the only normal human who believes in you now. If other people did, you'd have a reason to be a Guardian, no matter what. If there's no reason for you to be replaced, then you'll have no reason to even try and _lie_ about hating me. There was some truth in your words...there's some truth behind ever lie." Wild sighed, head drooping as she began to walk again, tugging Pitch along with her, not looking at _him_, either. She didn't want to see _any_ of them. "I'm not going to have anyone say that I'm just a "replacement" ever again."


	12. Only Time Will Tell

**( The guesses on Wild's center are getting closer! Way to go, guys! No right guesses yet...so I'll give you the hint. It is a word that has been used to describe her in the story before. :D I know that isn't much of a hint, but it wasn't supposed to be, either. Of course, once I reveal what it is, I bet you guys will wonder why you never guessed it before. ^^; That was me watching RotG for the first time—I was SO upset that I hadn't guessed Jack's center, even though there were SO MANY CLUES! Anyway—comment, critique, compliment, you know the drill. C: )**

"_Nobody_," panted Wild, leaning against a building and sliding down to her butt, exhausted, "just packs up their things and falls off the face of the earth." Wild was livid right about now—this entire situation was crazy! How was she meant to prove her worth like this? "And if she _was_ missing, wouldn't her family put up posters or something to look for her?" asked the ginger, flabbergasted by this entire dilemma, fuming about the girl's less-than-spiffy family. To not even _look_ for their missing daughter! How could they?

Glancing over at Jack, who wore an unreadable expression, Wild tried again to find clues. "Did she have any family members?"

He nodded. "A younger sister named Angela. A bit of a know-it-all, but she wasn't too bad." Sitting crisscross applesauce in the air, he perched his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, frowning. This didn't make much sense to him, either.

Pitch stayed standing, arms folded over his chest, admiring the city that he'd once tried to take over seventy-eight years ago. It seemed like it had been so long since then. It was difficult to fathom that, in his entire lifespan, he'd never seen it in the daytime before. How busy it was, how _loud_! But, for some reason, the Boogeyman didn't mind that. For whatever reason, it was...almost relaxing. "Perhaps she doesn't really exist. Maybe Jack was just feeling _lonely_," he muttered. Jack glowered balefully at him, but Wild laughed, which made his cheeks heat up. _She's still angry with me_, Jack thought tiredly. He'd been trying to make it up by being particularly hilarious; she'd played along with his attempts, but apparently hadn't warmed back up to him yet.

Then Wild took Jack's side again, much to his relief. "Of course she's real. I'd know if he was lying."

_Would you, now? Yet you forgave me earlier, even though you claim you know when I am lying._ Jack couldn't quite figure it out. Or _her_ out, for that matter. Pitch, however, seemed curious. "And how would you know that?"

Wild smiled at him, that warm, lopsided smile that she'd once thrown so sparingly at Jack. He missed it. "It's easy! Can't _you_ tell when somebody is lying, Pitch?" He looked puzzled. Suddenly her smile faltered, and her eyes widened slightly as she contemplated something. "I thought everyone could!"

Sandy plopped down beside her and shrugged, smiling. He'd come to ease the tension, Wild had hypothesized. Why else would he? He barely knew her yet, and probably wasn't interested in her drama with Jack. It was awfully nice of him...though it hadn't worked out. Things here were _broiling_ with hostility. But she was still grateful that he'd tried.

Jack scratched the back of his head, grimacing. Where had Tabitha gone? Did she think about him as much as he thought about her? Did she even _remember_ that day? He mused to himself, retracting his hand from his cranium and bringing it to his mouth, gnawing lightly on the thumbnail. _I wonder what color her eyes are. I never did see them under all that hair._ He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Wild's gaze had turned to watch him, eyes doe-like and expression grave. Finally, she spoke:

"You're in love with her, aren't you?"

He started. Blue eyes met green, surprised. "W-what? Is that what you think?"

"Yes," Wild replied flatly, leaning her head back to rest it against the building. "I do think that. You do, don't you?"

"N-no!"

"..." Something flashed in her eyes, which she closed. Completely indifferent, she spoke again, voice softer now. "You do."

He fidgeted. Did he love Tabitha? He'd only met her once...it was highly likely that he only liked his fantasy version of her he'd thought up. But she'd _seen_ him...she touched him, and spoke to him, and...and..."Maybe."

She exhaled loudly, and he looked at her, really _looked_ at her. Did she look sad, or was he imagining that? Then she smiled. "I thought so. You wouldn't search for just any person this diligently." Gently, she added, "I'm glad you found someone, Jack Frost."

Stunned, he stared at her. What did she mean by that? And why did she saw it so quietly, with such finality? "Um...thanks."

Lost far away in her mind, she angled her head in a different direction than him, so he couldn't read it. Then she placed her hands on her thighs and heaved herself up. Straightening to a standing position, she reached and ran her fingers through her ponytail of thick amber tresses, lips pursed. "We'd best start from base one again. Back to the place Jack first saw her. That seems like the best course of action, I think," she informed them, green eyes narrowing against the wind, the bandages around her ribcage loosening, which she ignored. There were more important things to worry about.

Pitch and Jack sighed, both not in the mood. Wild found it funny that they weren't friends, nor did they even get along; they were very alike, which is why the situation was so odd. Hopefully one day, Jack could forgive Pitch. That would be nice.

So they retraced their steps, arriving on the street Jack had met Tabitha on. He recalled how he'd teased her then, and how she'd retaliated by shocking the living shit out of him when he found she could see him. He'd been asking for that one. Unable to help it, Jack burst out laughing, having a jolly old time just remembering that day. It had been a good one. The last of the good ones. Then Wild had came. He still didn't know exactly _how_ he felt about _her._

Wild was quiet. The Sandman glanced at her, worried. He reached to tug on her jumpsuit; she glanced down at him and grinned. "No worries, Sandy! I was just trying to find her. None of the animals in the area know of a Tabitha."

Jack blinked. "..The animals?" He echoed, perplexed. "You didn't even open your mouth to speak to them!"

"There is a _constant_ noise in the head, Jack! They've been talking to me this whole time, I just never cared to listen...though I probably should have. It may have helped." Wild explained, still seeming detached. Jack was _not_ liking this indifferent version of Wild at all. "One way or another, they are not aware of her."

There was a heavy silence that seemed to stretch for hours. Finally, Pitch spoke, his voice deadpan. "So...you're saying Jack made her up? She's just a fanciful dream of his?" asked the Boogeyman, sending an accusing glare at Jack.

Balefully, he scowled, not appreciating the implications of that statement. As if...as if he _needed_ to be seen, to be wanted, like he couldn't live without it! "I didn't make her up," Jack hissed heatedly, fists clenching.

"Well," the Brit retorted, voice lilting and childlike as he continued to taunt Jack, "obviously you must have, if nature _itself_ is not _aware_ of her existence. You just wanted the attention, didn't you? To be loved, after all this time?" The Boogeyman sneered, eyes gleaming with malice. "Pitiful."

That was the _last_ straw!

"At least," snarled Jack, "children _like_ me! Who has ever loved _you_?"

Silence. Pitch stared at Jack with such hate he almost felt guilty. Sandy seemed uncomfortable. He could only imagine _his_ expression—anger, hurt, frustration.

But none of those things had anything on Wild.

She seemed wounded, as if Jack had said words like that to _her_ instead of Pitch. Her eyes were wide, mouth in a small 'o' of shock, eyebrows quirked upward to depict her disappoint. She was disappointed in him. _He_ was disappointed in him. Why did he keep messing things up today?

Finally, she turned her face away from him. Jack wished she'd put it back. Looking at him with such agony was better than her not looking at him at all. "C'mon, Pitch," she murmured, voice hollow in her ears, reaching over and snagging his wrist from where it laid at his side, the hand attached to it clenched until the skin was white. "Let's go. Obviously, Mr. Loved-By-The-Children doesn't need our help." Pitch looked at her, a lifetime's word of pain in his eyes, wrenching at her heartstrings. Wild forced a smile to her face, feeling the muscles loosen as it became more natural and sincere. He gazed upon her face a moment longer before the tension eased from his body, relaxing; Pitch leaned forward into her, body sagging, head resting on her shoulder. She tilted her head into his, lending him her strength, before using her free hand to straighten him up, beaming. Although it was a little weak, he smiled back.

She really did work wonders on him. And, much to Jack's embarrassment, he found he was wrong. Somebody did love Pitch. It was Wild.

And now, without another word to him or Sandy, she was walking away with their sworn enemy, refusing to give him the light of day. Feeling a lump in his throat, Jack swallowed with difficulty, before peering down at the golden man beside him. "Sandy," he began, voice hoarse. As the Sandman reacted to being addressed, he asked softly, "What have I done?"

* * *

North was not a fan of this whole 'Pitch-Black-is-a-changed-man' situation. Though he wanted to give the Boogeyman the benefit of a doubt, he was struggling. It was a troublesome thought, having such a dangerous individual living among them, eating with them, playing with them, wriggling his way in close to them by association of Wild. He had to wonder if he wasn't just manipulating her naïve mind, forcing her to believe him, toying with her unshakeable faith in his humanity.

To think that Pitch Black changed so much, all because of Wild...it was a worrisome thought indeed.

One he couldn't quite bring himself to accept. Although he's tried.

So when Wild came parading back into his fortress, dragging a somewhat anxious Pitch behind her (who was looking at everything in awe—North's creations tended to inspire awe in most people), he felt a surge of concern. Usually Jack was tailing Wild like he was tied to her by an invisible chain. Even when she'd been unconscious and he'd woken up before her, he'd stayed by her bedside every day. As luck would have it, when she _did_ wake up, that had been the single moment Jack Frost had left her side, having gone out to relieve himself. But today, Jack wasn't there, and North couldn't deny that he was pessimistic about this whole deal.

"Wild!" He greeted her with energy he didn't fully feel, smiling. It was good to see her—it seemed that her injuries were healing up well; even the bruises had faded to a greenish yellow tint—but the fact that she was alone with Pitch made the wheels in his mind spin in a downward spiral for the worst. "It is good to see you, old friend!"

When she returned his smile with a meeker one of her own, his feelings only became more prominent. Something was wrong. She seemed offbeat, and more withdrawn than usual. Like her spirit had been damaged. North's smile faltered slightly, but before he could comment upon it, Wild was speaking, eyes arching pleasantly at him. "Hi, North! How's it hanging?"

The Russian considered that. How was it hanging? "Fine, fine," he blustered, waving her words away. Wild flicked out her wrist, a gust of wind blowing the large, heavy double doors shut—a new talent she'd gained control of, evidently. Then, still attached to Pitch at the hip, she moved forward, her long red ponytail waving from side to side. "What brings you here, Wild? Does life treat you well?"

Perhaps it was the genuine worry in his voice, or maybe just the fact that somebody has asked at all, but her lips wobbled slightly when he inquired about her. For whatever reason, it never occurred to her that while she could ask about how he was doing, that he could do the same back. She was rather blown away. However, Wild had bigger fish to fry. Pushing her feelings down, her large green eyes met his dark blues. Now that she thought about it, his eyes looked rather akin to Jack's—maybe, in their human years, they'd been related? It was common folklore that Jack Frost and Santa Claus were related, was it not? Then again, Tooth had purple eyes, which was _not_ a normal human gene. So...then again, maybe not. "As much as I could ask for, North," she said vaguely, intentionally making him curious. The bait was set.

And he fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

North's thick dark grey eyebrows lifted. Wild watched that expression, felt a jolt of satisfaction, and cut him off before he could interrogate her more. "Do you know of anyone who would have information on a girl named Tabitha who lives in the town Jack always visits? The one in North America?" Finally drawn back down to Earth, Pitch's gaze fell from the odd objects in the room, and watched the exchange between Wild and North. Although he'd deny it, many Immortals viewed him as the 'leader' of the Guardians, simply because of his dominance in most things they took part in, and because all the others like and admired him. There may be no 'official' leader, but if they were to have one, it would certainly be North's unanimous win. So watching Wild take control of a situation like this was interesting to say the least. "We've been unable to locate her coordinates, and need all the information we can get."

So formal for a teenaged girl. North couldn't help but grin; she assumed that the more professional she seemed, the more likely he'd be to help her. Wild didn't seem to realize that as a Guardian, they were obligated to facilitate her in any way they could; that's what friends did! However, it appeared that she hadn't come to terms with that yet. Perhaps it was because of the Pitch-issue.

Yes, that was probably it. Pitch was the root base of _all_ their current tensions and problems.

North made a mental list of people she could speak to. Gabriel. But he'd need to send her there with Tooth, and Tooth had already gone there before. It would be an awkward situation for them all to send her there again. Lucy. North, however, didn't think the Devil would cooperate with Wild. Besides, she _really _loathed Pitch. North couldn't see that going along well at all. Perhaps the Grim Reaper? Grim, contrary to popular belief, was actually one of North's favorite people outside of the Guardians. However, he was very socially awkward, particularly around women. And Wild, being exceptionally good looking, would definitely make him forget how to speak. Or-

"You could go see Father Time."

That wasn't what Wild had been expecting. She blinked, a monkey wrench having been thrown in her schemes. "F-Father..?"

He nodded to himself distractedly, smirking. "Father Time would know. You'll like him—Father Time and Mother Nature are much intertwined in folklore! You two were destined to get along, yes?" Wild gawked at North. Speechlessly, she nodded; that could work. As he looked at Wild, he had to wonder what her motives were. And why she was researching Tabitha without Jack being around. It didn't quite make sense to him. So, mildly, he added, "I will come with you to see him! It has been awhile—we need to catch up!"

Hastily, Wild tried to get him out of it, feeling a panicked squeeze of her hand from Pitch. "O-oh no, North, that's not necessary. We can go on our own!"

"Nah," grinned the large man, standing from his favorite seat. "I will take you! Come, come! We can ride on my sleigh!" Pitch and Wild exchanged glances, before she sighed, resigned, and dipped her head to North.

He smiled, walking past them to lead the dynamic duo to his sleigh. _I will figure out what she is plotting, no matter what._


	13. Time Flies When You're Having Fun

**( I promise, there is a method to my madness. Wild isn't just being a prat toward Jack, her and Pitch are plotting something of importance, and Gabriel will be making a move soon. Hold your horses! Again, thank you all for the feedback. C: I appreciate it! Keep it coming, of course! The more I get, the more I can improve, so on and so forth. Also, drawing characters from this story is completely alright with me [you know who you are who asked ;) ]. Fire away! Just make sure to tag me in it! _I LOVE DRAWINGS._ *is artistic, but doesn't know how to use technology, so she can't upload her art* )**

The sleigh ride was mostly uneventful, though fun (at least for Wild—Pitch discovered that he was _not_ a fan of high speed movement while several hundred feet above ground), but after awhile, Pitch could tell Wild was getting antsy. Every once in awhile she'd twitch, or fiddle with her fingers, perhaps she'd have a miniature muscle spasm; all aspects of her current mental and physical condition screamed "edgy".

He watched a plethora of emotions splay over her face like an open book, and felt his lips twitch with amusement. She was so easy to predict, only because one could tell what she was feeling/going to say just by looking at her face before she was going to do/say. It made their relationship very easy and simplistic, because he didn't need to try to fit in with her, being the accepting type, she was easy to understand since she was so blatantly obvious all the time, and she was willing to let him into her selective circle of trusted friends without knowing much about him. Although at first he'd had his doubts, it was hard to have them now.

After she'd saved him from his own Nightmares, reclaimed him from the room he'd been kept prisoner in by the Guardians, and then dragged around with her, practically hand in hand 24/7, he often found it difficult to believe she'd actually allowed him to be here, with her. Somebody like her should have a lot of friends, friends who probably deserved her. Not that he wasn't incredibly grateful for everything she's done for him, but...he didn't understand why. And now, with this...

Wild had cooked up a plan. Originally, she'd wanted revenge on Jack. But it had quickly boiled down to one in which he ended up benefiting the most (a fact that pissed him off to no end—he'd wanted Jack to burn), because Wild was not good at being mad at people, particularly Jack, the first person she could recall meeting ever. It was natural she'd have a soft spot for him. So, either way, still under the impression she was on a mission for revenge (even though she wasn't anymore, despite her being in denial), she was keeping it in utmost secrecy.

The plan was this: talk to North about possible people who may locate Tabitha, interrogate them, get Tabitha, and bring Tabitha to Jack. For _whatever_ reason, during the portion in which the revenge half diminished into nonexistence, she was still convinced it was there. Just thinking about it made the Boogeyman sigh in exasperation. Oh, Wild. Turbulent and illustrious as she was, she was the most naïve, innocent fool he'd ever met. A fool he had come to care about. Maybe even love—but he didn't know much about love, let alone recollect any time in his life in which he'd ever experienced anything even _relatively_ close to base it off of. So he would merely assume that was his current standpoint with Wild. Love. Not a romantic love (at least, he didn't think so), just...just..._something_. His track of mind brought a flush to his pasty cheeks, embarrassed at the idea of Wild ever finding about about these odd emotions, though he was sure she'd take it in stride. That didn't make it any less mortifying. Especially if the _others_ discovered where he stood with Wild...he'd never live it down.

A warm, soft touch drew his attention to Wild, whose large green eyes were peering at him in curiosity. A hint of a smile played upon her mouth, nose wrinkling slightly in an effort to conceal it. "Pitch. You have a rather timid expression right now. What causes it?" She asked, voice slathered in the amusement she was failing at masking. Pitch gave her a long, suffering look, until she started giggling quietly to herself, being the type to crack under pressure. Eventually, he couldn't keep his stoic appearance, and smirked slightly. But it wasn't that cruel, evil smirk he was known for. It was much softer, traced with a sort of bliss.

Before he could answer, he felt eyes watching him; the Boogeyman glanced to see North watching them, a most peculiar look on his face. Then, caught in the act of staring, he looked away and flicked the reins to his reindeer, urging them to go faster.

"Is it nerves?" Wild was asking Pitch now, completely misinterpreting his reddened complexion. When Pitch proceeded to look stunned by her assumption, she lit up, figuring she must have guessed right to make him pull a face like that. "Oh, Pitch!" She laughed, that tittering, felicitous laugh she only used when she was in a state of beatitude, which hadn't been common lately. It was fantastic to hear it again. "There's no need," Wild continued, lowering her voice, her Scottish accent sounding thicker than before, and huskier in her effort to soften it. "Our plan will definitely not fail, and I'll bet Father Time will like you." Father Time will _like_ him? Pitch almost laughed. Of course Wild thought he was worried for himself. It was inconceivable that his thoughts could have related to _her_ in any way, naturally. She was such an idiot.

But, instead, he smiled at her and nodded in what he hoped looked sufficiently like gratitude. "Thanks, Wild. I feel loads better now." And it was true, he discovered; he did. Only because it was Wild, though, not because she'd actually done anything useful for him.

She beamed at him, eyes twinkling, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before withdrawing her own, placing it back on her lap. Her smile faded a little until it was only the barest uplift of her lips, brows arched in an attentive, eloquent manner, looking out at the mountains and valley below them as they crossed one of the rainforests of the world and noting the humid steam billowing up toward her, which was a welcome feeling. She had a soft spot for spring and summer, he presumed. As she sat there, a little more at ease than she had been the entire trip so far, she began humming under her breath. The wordless song rose and fell in silver arcs with rolling crescendos, fluid rhythms, and smooth descending lines; he doubted she'd made it up on her own. After about a minute of her vocalizing through closed lips, Pitch asked thoughtfully, "What song is that, Wild?"

Wild shrugged, leaning against the sturdy sleigh, head resting on the hard material, eyes closing for a minute as she made herself comfortable. "I'm not sure. I'm positive I recognize it, though. I just...came to me."

"Maybe it is from your past, Wild," North offered hopefully. "It could be from your lost memories.

Pitch Black looked over at the large man before turning his golden-silver eyes to Wild, who seemed to have dozed off instead of listening to him. But he figured she'd heard him, and was just trying to relax and mull the idea over. She wasn't the type to just...sleep when people were talking to her. His theory was well-founded, for a few moments later, those big green eyes opened, and she pursed her lips.

"..Yeah, maybe."

But she didn't sound very excited about it, Pitch noted. Nor did she continue her humming.

The sleigh dipped down, heading toward the ocean. It skimmed the open waters of the Pacific, the reindeer grunting and snorting, rambunctious as always. North leaned over the side and brushed his hands over the cool liquid, murmuring, "Father. Grant us entry?" There was a silence for a moment—and then, spontaneously, the water parted before them like the Red Seas, still completely calm and natural, without making a lot of noise. As if a situation like this was _normal_. Pitch's and Wild's mouths dropped simultaneously, but North was unimpressed, merely flying down lower to the ocean floor, several thousand feet below them. At the bottom sat the entrance to a cavern, which North led them into. The Boogeyman had never been to Father Time's lair, and was quite curious about it all. Then he heard Wild gasp and say something that was so heavily accented he couldn't quite catch, and he looked ahead: a layer of iridescent film was vertically placed before them like a wall. North was again unperturbed, simply flying them through it; it didn't bend or flex or break, it just acted as if they weren't there, and they went right through it. Only then did the three here the crashing of the water as it again fell into place. Wild and Pitch glanced nervously over their shoulders, watching the nearly black waters push against the odd shield, but this time the film-like substance held, blocking out the waters.

With a fervent exhalation of relief, Mother Nature faced the front again, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head on them, exhausted by her endless worrying. "Why the ocean?" She asked, sounding a little breathless.

"The ocean has been here before any ground was. So has Father Time. It makes sense, no?" North replied with a broad grin, picking up on how anxious the two had just been. Everybody reacted that way on their first time visiting Father Time. Although that way of seeing things _never_ stayed for long. It usual vanished upon meeting him...

After a beat, she nodded, seeing the sense in that. "..Will we like him?" She asked for her and Pitch. The Boogeyman glanced over at her, unable to completely mask his surprise; since when had she been their designated speaker? Apparently they were connected at the hip or something; after some careful consideration, he felt the slightest of smiles crossing his face. He rather liked that idea. A lifetime with somebody like Wild would be nice.

North parked the sleigh, hopping out and stroking the flanks of his reindeer, congratulating them on yet another job well done. Pitch clambered out of the sleigh as well, and then offered a hand to Wild, who accepted it graciously. He didn't drop her hand and, once she'd realized the fact, she threw a happy smile over at him. Just as she was about to take a step down the tunnel, North looked over at Pitch, his blue eyes shockingly apologetic. "You know you will have to stay here, Pitch," he stated, honestly sounding sorry about it.

As if she hadn't heard him, Wild gawked up at the Guardian of Wonder. "W-what?"

Pitch didn't speak; he merely looked up at North blankly. Put on the spot, North fidgeted. "Ah...Pitch and Father are not on good terms. So...it would be good if he stayed here, yes? That way, we can do what you need to do, Wild." She looked about the object, but then Pitch gave her hand a squeeze.

"It's fine, Wild." He inclined his head in acceptance to North, who looked greatly relieved. "I will look after the sleigh."

North smiled. Wild looked between the two uncomprehendingly, before beaming; maybe North would be the first one to accept Pitch? That would be fantastic!

"I'll tell you everything afterward, alright?" Wild told Pitch, her blindingly bright smile still stretched upon her face. Pitch smiled and gave her a nod. Then they released hands. With a sloppily soldier's salute to the Boogeyman, she spun on her heel and led the way down the remainder of the tunnel hall, leaving North to start and then hurry after her. With an easy shrug, Pitch gracefully jumped up onto the slay, sprawling out over the seats and waiting the others out. His eyes began to slip closed after a few minutes, catching up on much-needed sleep.

A shadow appeared out of the film, darting into the darkness of the tunnels. The napping Pitch paid it no mind. Slowly, stealthily, the shape slunk up to him, and reached out. Once the cool hand touched him, Pitch jerked, flying awake, but a single blow to his head and he was out like a light.

Gabriel grinned broadly. Whether Pitch served as an informant or a hostage, he had yet to decide. But one way or another, this would definitely end in his favor.

* * *

Wild stared.

Before she could see Father Time, who North had immediately rushed forward to and engulfed in a large, rib-cracking embrace, she'd first stopped to admire his lair. It was like Pitch's, just golden instead of black and gloomy, and filled with books (imagine the library in Beauty and the Beast that Adam gave to Belle—that was Father Time's home) and hourglasses, some empty, some full, some at midpoint. Each ticking down to the last grain. At first, Wild couldn't even _begin _to fathom why he would have millions upon millions of hourglasses. Then it hit her—the organisms of the world. It was calculating their life, how long or how short it was, how much time they had left. Suddenly she felt a little cold—how young she must have been, to be a teenager in this body, when she died! How short her life was!

Then North stepped back, allowing Father Time to breath, and stepped aside, gesturing to the man. "Wild? Meet Father Time. Father for short, though."

Father Time was about 5", with a thin, wiry build, no hair and a long, curly white beard, looking rather the way she'd always envisioned Merlin looking like. All in all, he was probably the least impressive specimen she'd ever laid eyes on. Father wore a blue turtleneck sweater and jeans, along with oversized sandals and round bug-eyed glasses—the stereotypical nerd. Resisting the urge to burst out laughing, Wild smiled down at him warmly, unable to suppress the amusement in her eyes. "Nice to meetcha, Father!"

Instead of being wise and calm, the man practically bounced, beaming at her. "Hello, my dear girl! My, my, aren't you lovely!" His high tenor voice proclaimed. He was quite eccentric, really; Wild was already growing attached to him, her smile widening into a wild grin as he sprang at her, pulling her into a big hug—but then her smile turned into a scowl as he then proceeded to bury his face into her large breasts. So he was the creepy-old-geezer type. "You know," he drawled sleazily, smiling to himself, "legend has it that Father Time and Mother Nature are married!" Wild's mouth opened in shock, which Father took as an invitation to continue. "So, what do you say, Wild? Do you want to-"

Wriggling free, she jumped backward, face burning and cheeks dark red. "N-no! I _don't_!" She panted, out of breath because she was so angry. "We are _not_ getting married!"

Father sulked. "It's the age difference, isn't it? If you want-" As he said this, suddenly his beard retracted into his chin, leaving a healthy brown stubble, and his hair grew back into a rather attractive mane of luscious chestnut locks. He grew a few inches, too, now about an inch taller than her, his friendly hazel eyes cheerful. "-I could use this body! How about now?" Closing the distance between them, he took her hands in his large ones, smiling. "Will you marry me now?"

Wild ripped her hands free dramatically, making a big fuss about this. Marriage! She was...she was...! Well, some sort of age in her teenaged years, she was sure. _Way _too early for marriage! And really, now that she was a Guardian and wouldn't age, wouldn't she _always_ be too young for marriage? Her body and mind would stop growing, so she assumed so. It was a shame—she'd always fancied herself a mother of children, but perhaps that wasn't meant to be, because now she was stuck like this. For the first time, she began to pity herself, only now realizing how many dreams she no longer was able to grasp. Nobody could see her. And who would want her, anyway? Not even Jack did. And if she were to even consider anybody, it would b-

Nope. Stop. Stupid idea. Silly train of thought. _Those_ were some dangerous grounds, Mother Nature!

North smirked at the two, chuckling to himself. Then, walking over and wrapping an arm around Father's shoulders in a show of camaraderie, he said mirthfully, "Wild came here to ask something of you, Father!" Father Time's hazel oculars darted to meet Wild's green ones, wide and earnest.

She took a deep breath. "We're looking for a girl in North America named Tabitha. Could you find out about her?" Wild queried, looking hopefully at Father Time. Since he liked her, she tried to look appealing and use her womanly charms, making her eyes a bit more doe-like (at least, she hoped that was the way they looked), and fluttered her eyelashes (which she thought were at an acceptable length to be happy with them—though, really, why do girls want long eyelashes? People don't meet you and think "_Damn_! Those are some _fine_ eyelashes!" On second thought, perhaps the eyelash-fluttering was a little overboard). She stopped batting her eyelashes, and stuck with the puppy-dog look again.

Father grinned. "Well, why didn't you say so!" Linking his arm with North, he cried enthusiastically, "I can _definitely_ help!" Then, linking his other arm with Wild, he pulled them deeper into his home, whistling a merry tune under his breath.


End file.
